


Scarves and Coffee

by grlnxtdr29



Category: Glee
Genre: M/M, Non graphic depiction of sexual assault
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-28
Updated: 2019-01-27
Packaged: 2019-10-17 23:43:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 35,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17570192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grlnxtdr29/pseuds/grlnxtdr29
Summary: A/U Kurt and Blaine don't meet until Valentine's Day. Blaine is sitting in The Lima Bean, brooding after the GAP fiasco, when a boy with the most amazing eyes comes looking for his lost scarf.





	1. The Scarf

He was such an idiot.

He couldn't believe he had done that. It was so humiliating. He didn't know what was worse, being rejected, or having his friends witness it. He never should have talked them into helping him. They'd tried to talk him out of it, tried to convince him to wait and see if Jeremiah felt the same about him at the very least. But he'd fooled himself into thinking it was love.

He realized now that wasn't true. He hadn't really been in love with Jeremiah. He just didn't want to be alone on Valentine's Day.

Yet here he sat, all alone, at the Lima Bean, staring at a cold cup of coffee, more miserable than ever.

"Excuse me?" Blaine looked up at the voice and found himself looking into the most amazing pair of eyes he had ever seen. "Hi, I'm sorry to bother you, but I was sitting at this table earlier, and I think I left my scarf here. Is it on that chair beside you?"

Blaine looked at the empty seat, and indeed there was a cerulean scarf that almost matched the blue in the boy's eyes. "Oh, yes, here."

The pale boy took it with a thanks, eyeing Blaine's blazer. "Is that a Dalton Academy blazer?"

He smiled. "Yes, I go to Dalton. I'm Blaine, by the way."

"I'm Kurt. Do you like Dalton? I hear the classes are really hard there."

He shrugged. "They are a bit more hardcore than public school, but they are manageable if you put in the effort."

Kurt nodded. "I hear they have an amazing Glee club, too."

Blaine's smile widened. "The Warblers, yes. They're like rock stars."

Kurt smiled. "They tied with New Directions at Sectionals, though."

"Do you go to McKinley?"

Kurt laughed. "Guilty."

"Are you in New Directions? I don't recall seeing you at sectionals."

A frown crossed the taller boy's face. "I was supposed to have a solo, but I was in the hospital the day of the competition." His face brightened a little as he smirked teasingly. "We'd have beaten you fair and square if I had been there."

Blaine laughed good naturedly. "Is that so? Well, you'll have to prove it to me at Regionals."

Another pained look crossed the boy's face. "If I'm still at McKinley then. My Dad is actually thinking of transferring me to Dalton."

"Oh? Why's that?"

"It's kind of a long story." Kurt looked almost fearful.

"Why don't you sit down and tell me about? I'll buy you a coffee."

…

Kurt hesitated. He hadn't told anyone the whole truth about what had happened, not even his Dad. He wanted to tell his friends in New Directions, but he knew how they would react. Puck and Santana would go ballistic, and probably get themselves kicked out of school, or in Puck's case, sent back to juvie. Mercedes and Tina would go all protective momma on him and smother him. He didn't want that for any of them. But he needed to talk to someone, he didn't want to keep it all bottled up.

Blaine seemed like a nice guy, even though he'd been lost in thought and looking a little upset himself when Kurt had first approached him. Maybe it would be good for both of them. He could distract the cute boy from whatever had him down, and get the whole thing off his own chest at the same time.

"I'd like that, I think."

Blaine smiled kindly at him, and took his coffee order, going to the counter to refresh his own medium drip as well. Kurt watched him discreetly as he sat and considered how much he could really tell this boy he hardly knew. Would it bother the other boy if Kurt admitted that he was gay? Could he tell what happened without telling that part? It was the reason the incident happened in the first place, after all. Oh well, he'd just have to see how the boy reacted. If he got upset, Kurt could always just repay him for the coffee and leave.

He glanced up and smiled his thanks as the other boy set the grande non-fat mocha in front of him.

"So, tell me the story of Kurt." Blaine smiled.

Kurt studied his face for a moment, and decided just to rip the bandage off, so to speak. "I'm the only openly gay kid at my school." He paused, waiting for the dark haired boy's reaction. Blaine just smiled again and nodded. Reassured, Kurt continued.

"I've always been teased about it, and about my voice and the way I dress. At first it was rough, but I could handle it. When I joined Glee club, the teasing got worse, but then it didn't matter, because I had friends who appreciated me for me."

He paused to take a drink, recalling those first weeks after joining New Directions. "We didn't always get along in the club. At first things were kind of rocky, a lot of drama and in fighting. But when things got bad outside the club, we became closer, more like a family. A seriously dysfunctional family, but still, I knew they would be there when I needed them. And they were. But there was this one Neanderthal who made it his life's mission to put me through hell."

He had to stop again and take a few deep breathes. His hands were shaking, and he put them under the table. "At first it was just the usual, homophobic taunts, nothing I hadn't heard before. But when those didn't seem to phase me anymore, he began to get physical, bumping in to me in the hallways, knocking books out of my hands. Nothing he could get suspended for. Then came the shoves into the lockers. The first time it happened, I reported him for it, but he just claimed that he tripped, and the teachers said there was nothing they could do about it."

Blaine reached into his pocket and pulled out a clean handkerchief, handing it to Kurt, who hadn't even realized he was crying. He wiped his eyes carefully, and handed it back. "After that the shoves and the slushie facials became more frequent. My friends tried to stand up for me, but he wouldn't stop. One day I just got so fed up, I followed him into the locker room to confront him. I remember shouting at him, telling him how pathetic he was, that he just couldn't stand how ordinary he was. I don't remember everything else I said, but something made him snap. I thought he was going to beat the crap out of me, but instead, he...he..."

Blaine reached over and took his hand. "What did he do?" He asked softly.

"He kissed me."

…

Kurt's voice was so low, Blaine almost didn't hear him. When the words did register, he had to fight down the surge of anger that welled up inside him. He didn't understand where it came from, but he shook it off. Kurt was very vulnerable right now. He didn't know the pale boy well, but he could tell that he really needed to talk to someone about this.

"What did you do?"

Kurt shook his head. "I was in shock, I just stood there in denial, until he moved to try and kiss me again. I think I shouted no, or maybe I just shook my head, I can't remember. He was so angry. He punched the locker beside me and stormed off."

"Did you tell anyone what happened?"

Kurt shook his head again. "I couldn't. My dad had just gotten out of the hospital after having a heart attack. I didn't want him to get upset. And I didn't want to tell my friends for multiple reasons, including the fact that I couldn't just out him that way."

"Why not? It would have made your life easier." Blaine thought it was noble of the pale boy to not want to out someone who was so obviously confused, but it sounded like there was more to the story.

Kurt shrugged. "I wouldn't do that, not even to my worst enemy. Besides, the next day he threatened me. He told me he'd kill me if I told anyone."

Blaine felt a chill go down his spine at the casual way the other boy mentioned the death threat. "Kurt, you should have told about the threat at least. You didn't have to tell them why he threatened you."

The boy nodded. "I would have, but my Dad was getting married. I decided to wait until after he and Carole left for their honeymoon, so that it wouldn't ruin the wedding. They left the day before Sectionals. That night I was going to tell New Directions what happened and then talk to the police."

Blaine didn't like the awful thoughts forming in his mind. Something had happened that night that put Kurt in the hospital. "He did something, didn't he?"

Kurt nodded, his eyes unfocused. "I was walking to my car after school. I was going to meet up with everyone at Rachel's house. He came out of no where, slamming me into the side of my car. He was furious. Some how he knew I was going to tell. At first he just punched me around a little, but then he..."

Oh god, Blaine recognized that look. He'd seen it once before when he'd had to stop by his Dad's law office once. The elder Anderson had been taking a victim's statement. He'd only glanced at the girl for a moment, but Kurt had that same look in his eyes.

"It's ok, Kurt. You don't have to talk about that if you don't want to."

Those amazing eyes looked up at him, and then he blinked, and forced that victimized look off his face. Blaine could see the determination there. Kurt took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "He started touching me. Fondling me. He was trying to convince me that we didn't have to tell anyone. That we could date in secret, that he was really my only option anyway, and that it would be better for me if I just agreed to be his secret boyfriend."

Kurt swallowed hard. "I tried pushing him away, told him I despised him and would never willingly be with him. He shoved me hard. I hit my head, blacked out. Mercedes found me a short while latter. When I woke up in the hospital, I told them I'd tripped and hit my head."

The silence that followed was thick. Blaine wasn't sure how to respond at first. "Kurt, you do know that none of what happened was your fault, right? You're not responsible for his actions. He made his choice. You need to think about what's best for you. It sounds like your friends really care about you. You should tell them the truth. They'll still love you."

Kurt sniffed again, and nodded. "I just don't want them to do something they'll regret. Puck would end up in juvie if he got in trouble. And Santana is likely to cause bodily harm if she finds out. I don't want them to get in trouble for trying to protect me or defending my honor. And I can't tell my Dad. He knows I've been being bullied, that's why he's thinking of sending me to Dalton. The only reason he hasn't so far is the tuition. But if he finds out what really happened, he'd go insane, and probably have another heart attack."

Kurt glanced out the window, then blinked at the darkness. "Crap, it's late. I was supposed to be home early to help Carole make dinner."

Blaine reached into his bag and pulled out a pen, grabbing the unused napkin beside his coffee. "Here, let me give you my phone number if you want to talk some more. And I can email you some information on scholarships for Dalton if you'd like."

Kurt smiled as he took the napkin and stood. "Thanks, Blaine. I really did need someone to talk to. By the way, I meant to ask, why were you looking so glum when I came in?"

Blaine smiled goofily. "Oh, it was nothing really. I just made a bad decision earlier today that ended up making me look bad in front of my friends."

Kurt nodded. "Well, someone recently told me that your friends will still love you, no matter what."

Blaine laughed and watched the pale skinned boy walk away.

…


	2. Regionals

Kurt stared at the phone he held in one hand, and the napkin in the other. Should he call? It had been two days since he'd met the dark haired boy at The Lima Bean. He'd found the other boy cute, and he'd been really nice. But was he gay?

If he wasn't, Kurt didn't want the guy to think he was crushing on him. Which he wasn't, he told himself. He could be friends with a good looking boy without falling for him. He wasn't counting Finn. Or Sam. He sighed and dialed the number.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Blaine? This is Kurt. We met at the Lima Bean the other day?"

"Kurt! Hi! I'm glad you called," and he did sound happy. "I have that information for you about scholarships, if you give me your email address I can send it over for you!"

"Great, thanks! It's Dfyinggrvity1 at "

"Awesome! How have you been? Any trouble at school the last couple of days?"

Kurt rolled over on to his stomach and smiled. "It's been ok. Nothing major happening. The Neanderthal got injured during football practice the other day, and was out a couple of days, so it's been kind of nice and peaceful. He'll be back Monday, though."

"Has he given you any trouble since that day before sectionals?"

"He hasn't had a chance to. New Directions still don't know the whole story, but they figured out something happened, and have been taking turns walking me to my classes. And surprisingly, the cheerio coach, Sue Sylvester has taken to following me and talking in her highly insulting yet easily annoying manner when ever no one else is available."

"Insulting? She's not disrespecting you too, is she?"

Kurt laughed. "No, that's just her personality. She talks to everyone the same way. In her own way she's been trying to protect me. Apparently she has a handful of people she'll go momma bear for, and for some reason, I'm one of them."

"Well, that's good. I'm sending you that information now. I wish I could talk to you longer, but Wes just called an emergency Warbler meeting. Maybe I could meet you for coffee tomorrow, around two?"

"Sure. The Lima Bean? Meet you at our usual table?" Kurt could have smacked himself for the comment, but Blaine just chuckled.

"Perfect, see you then."

…

Blaine smiled when he saw the pale skinned boy sitting at the table where they'd first met. He'd been thinking about him for the last few days, and was pleasantly surprised when he had called the day before. He'd refused to admit to himself that he'd found the boy attractive, especially after the whole Jeremiah fiasco. But those eyes were hard not to think about.

And now those eyes were looking up at him, and it was like a punch to the stomach at how beautiful they were.

"Hey, nice to see you again. Have you ordered yet?" He asked. Kurt smiled and shook his head.

"Not yet. I just got here a couple minutes ago and thought I'd wait for you."

"Good. Why don't you wait here and I'll get the drinks. Grande non-fat mocha, correct?"

"Yes, but you don't have to pay for my drink, I can get it."

"Don't worry about it. You can get it next time."

Blaine walked up to the line, waiting to place the order, and could have smacked himself. Next time? He'd only just met the guy a few days ago, and now he was talking as if there would be a next time. What if Kurt wasn't interested in a next time? The poor kid had been sexually harassed by a closeted jock who had deluded himself into thinking no meant go for it.

He probably didn't even want to think about dating anyone right now.

He picked up their orders and returned to the table. Kurt nodded his thanks and took a sip. "So, I told you my story. Seems only fair for you to tell me yours this time."

Blaine hesitated. He'd told the Warblers most of his story, but not everything. Kurt had been so honest with him the other day. Could he do the same?

"Well, like you, I was in public school, and I got bullied for being out."

…

Kurt hid a grin of happiness. Blaine was gay. He had to remind himself that that didn't mean he was available. Or even interested. He took another drink of his coffee as Blaine continued talking.

"The difference was, I wasn't the only one out at my school. My friend had come out about a month before I did. I knew he'd been harassed about it, and I almost decided not to come out at all. But I did, and he and I decided to go to the Sadie Hawkins dance together, just as friends, mind you. He was a great guy, but he wasn't really my type, and I wasn't his, but we liked to hang out.

While we were waiting for his Dad to pick us up, these guys in a pick up truck jumped us. They beat the crap out of us. I ended up with three broken ribs, a fractured collarbone, and a ruptured spleen. My friend got it worse. He was left with permanent brain damage and paralyzed from the waist down."

Kurt reached over and took his hand. "I'm so sorry. Is that when you transferred to Dalton?"

Blaine nodded, unable to speak for a moment. He took a big breath, drank some coffee, and cleared his throat. "Dalton is great. It's become a part of me, you know? Everyone there has accepted me for who I am, kind of like your Glee Club accepted you. And being in the Warblers helped me get through my insecurities."

"It sounds great. My Dad is really pushing me to transfer. I showed him that information you sent me last night. I'm just not sure I want to leave my friends. They've been great for the most part. I'd feel like I was abandoning them. But I don't know if I can stay if the Neanderthal continues to terrorize me."

"Well, what ever you decide to do, I'd like to be your friend, so you have someone you can talk to outside the situation."

Kurt smiled, his heart skipping a beat. "I'd like that very much. And if you ever need someone to talk to about anything, I'd like to be that person for you, too."

They spent the next couple of hours talking about music (Gaga vs Katy Perry), vogue, politics, and where they wanted to be after college. After agreeing to meet up again on Wednesday, they parted.

Over the next few weeks they talked on the phone almost nightly, and meet for coffee regularly.

Karofsky's return to school after his injury meant that Kurt once again had an escort between classes. He hated the need for it, but he loved his friends for their support, even if they didn't fully understand what was happening.

Regionals were only a few weeks away, and Mr. Shue had decided that Kurt should do the solo he hadn't gotten to do at Sectionals. He was so excited. He knew he'd been prepared before Sectionals, but now with the extra time to practice, he thought the performance would be amazing. The song wasn't something he'd normally do, but with the arrangement Mr. Shue had come up with, and Brittany and Mike's choreography, he knew the judges would love it.

He and Blaine refrained from talking Glee usually, not wanting anyone to accuse either of them of giving away any secrets. Of course no one in the New Directions knew about Blaine, mostly because he knew Rachel would blow her top and accuse the Warbler of trying to pull a Jesse on him.

On the other hand, a few of the Warblers did know about Kurt, but only because Jeff was being rather nosy one day when Blaine had been texting with him during Homeroom. Mrs. Hansen was ancient and hard of hearing and often fell asleep during the class, so the boys tended to goof off. Jeff had began badgering him, and finally he'd cracked and told him. Of course Jeff couldn't keep his mouth shut, and was still teasing him as they'd entered Warbler practice later that day.

"Hey Blainers, how's your boyfriend?" He all but shouted.

"Boyfriend?" Wes asked, raising his eyebrow.

"He's not my boyfriend, we're just friends. We met by accident at the Lima Bean on Valentine's Day."

"Valentine's Day? After that fiasco with that mop headed idiot?" David chimed in.

Blaine rolled his eyes. "Yes, David. Thank you for reminding me of my worst idea ever. I had almost forgotten about it."

"You're welcome. So who is he?"

"His name is Kurt, he goes to McKinley, and he left his scarf behind at the table I was sitting at. He came looking for it, and we got to talking. His Dad is thinking of transferring him here, but he doesn't want to leave his friends behind."

"McKinley? As in New Directions McKinley?" Of course Wes would make the connection.

"Yes, Wes, that McKinley. And before you even start, we don't talk about Glee Club, so don't even lecture me about spying and stealing set lists."

The handsome Asian boy frowned and huffed, but didn't say anything else. The rest of the Warblers arrived then, and rehearsals went off without a hitch.

…

The morning of Regionals arrived, and both the Warblers and New Directions were in high spirits. Dalton had drawn the first slot, and McKinley the third. Kurt had spotted Blaine in the lobby, and had sent him a discreet smile, which the other boy returned with a wink.

As the two teams had competed with each other previously, they politely greeted each other and wished each other good luck. New Directions took seats in the audience just as the announcer introduced the judges.

When the lights went down and the Warblers took the stage, Kurt tried not to show how excited he was to see Blaine perform. They'd kept to their word not to talk about song selections, but they both knew that the other had solos.

When Blaine stepped forward, Kurt was surprised that he wasn't doing a Katy Perry song as he'd assumed, but was even more pleasantly surprised at the beautiful rendition of True Colors he performed. Their second song was more of an a capella standard, The Lion Sleeps Tonight, but Kurt had to admit that their version of it was truly amazing. Their final song was another surprise that had people in the audience laughing and jumping to their feet and dancing along. No doubt Raise Your Glass was a hit with everyone, and Kurt thought the Warblers definitely had a chance to win this.

As the audience gave the Warblers a standing ovation, New Directions made their way backstage. Kurt hung back a little, hoping to see Blaine. He spotted him being congratulated by his teammates in the wings. He only hesitated a moment before approaching them.

"You were amazing, Blaine!"

"Kurt! Thank you! I can't wait to hear your song!"

"Yeah, well, make sure you have a tissue ready, cause I'm going to wipe the floor with you!" He joked. Blaine laughed and turned to his friends.

"Guys, this is Kurt Hummel, the friend I was telling you about." They greeted him kindly and with just a little friendly teasing, before Rachel called his name.

"Gotta go. I'll see you later, after we win." He hugged Blaine quickly before heading to the dressing room.

"Where were you?" Rachel asked as he entered.

"My mouth was a little dry, nerves you know. I stopped to rinse my mouth out."

…

Blaine and the Warblers took their seats just in time to catch the other team's last song. They were good, but their performance seemed to be a bit forced and unoriginal.

Finally the announcer called New Directions to the stage. And they were good. They started out with just the girls on stage doing Gaga's Edge of Glory, and nailing it. Then the entire group came on stage and the audience went crazy for their original song, Loser Like Me, which all the Warblers agreed was great.

And then it was time for Kurt's solo. Blaine sat up straighter as the music began playing. A single spotlight lit up center stage, and slowly, Kurt stepped into the light as he began singing.

I could stay awake just to hear you breathing  
Watch you smile while you are sleeping  
While you're far away dreaming  
I could spend my life in this sweet surrender  
I could stay lost in this moment forever  
Every moment spent with you is a moment I treasure

As light slowly came up on the stage, two figures began to dance in front of Kurt, who moved in counterpoint with them as he continued to sing.

Don't want to close my eyes  
I don't want to fall asleep  
'Cause I'd miss you baby  
And I don't want to miss a thing  
'Cause even when I dream of you  
The sweetest dream will never do  
I'd still miss you baby  
And I don't want to miss a thing

Lying close to you feeling your heart beating  
And I'm wondering what you're dreaming  
Wondering if it's me you're seeing  
Then I kiss your eyes  
And thank God we're together  
I just want to stay with you in this moment forever  
Forever and ever

The audience was enraptured, as was Blaine. Kurt was absolutely incredible. More couples began to move around the stage, dancing around Kurt as he wandered through them.

Don't want to close my eyes  
I don't want to fall asleep  
'Cause I'd miss you baby  
And I don't want to miss a thing  
'Cause even when I dream of you  
The sweetest dream will never do  
I'd still miss you baby  
And I don't want to miss a thing

I don't want to miss one smile  
I don't want to miss one kiss  
I just want to be with you  
Right here with you, just like this  
I just want to hold you close  
Feel your heart so close to mine  
And just stay here in this moment  
For all the rest of time

Don't want to close my eyes  
I don't want to fall asleep  
'Cause I'd miss you baby  
And I don't want to miss a thing  
'Cause even when I dream of you  
The sweetest dream will never do  
I'd still miss you baby  
And I don't want to miss a thing

Don't want to close my eyes  
I don't want to fall asleep  
'Cause I'd miss you baby  
I don't want to miss a thing  
'Cause even when I dream of you  
The sweetest dream will never do  
I'd still miss you baby  
And I don't want to miss a thing

The crowd was once more on it's feet, clapping louder and longer as Kurt took a bow, Blaine shouting the loudest.

…

All three teams gathered backstage as they awaited the judges decision. Kurt was giddy, and couldn't stop bouncing. Mercedes laughed at him. "White boy, if you gave off any more energy you could power the state for a year!"

"I can't help it, Mercedes! They gave me a standing ovation! I can't believe it!"

"Well, you should believe it," another voice cut in. "You were incredible!"

Kurt spun around and smiled even wider. "Blaine! Thank you! It was so amazing! I didn't think they'd react like that!"

The shorter boy gave him a quick hug. "How could they not? Even the judges were crying."

"Kurt, do you know that boy?" Rachel's obnoxious voice cut in. She was looking Blaine over with a combination of distrust and lust. Kurt rolled his eyes, and Blaine just smiled kindly at her.

"Blaine is a friend of mine, Rachel. We met a couple of months ago."

"You've been fraternizing with the enemy for months and didn't bother to tell anyone?" She accused.

"Come on, Rachel, leave him alone," Mercedes interrupted. "They obviously didn't share any information with each other. No one gave away set lists, and Kurt is allowed to have any friends he wants."

The short brunette huffed, but turned away. Before anyone else could speak, they were being called out on stage for the results.

…

The Warblers returned to Dalton that evening in a good mood, despite the second place finish. They'd spent the three hour bus ride home singing song after song and teasing each other good naturedly. By the time Blaine reached his dorm, he was exhausted, so when his phone rang, he almost didn't answer it, but a glance at the screen made him smile.

"Hey, Kurt. Calling to rub your victory in my face?" he teased, but the sound he heard on the other end of the line made his heart freeze.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't Want To Miss a Thing by Aerosmith is one of my favorite songs ever, and I always wanted them to do it on Glee, although if they had, it probably would have been Finn who sang it. I think Kurt would have done an amazing version of it, though.
> 
> Please review, Love or Hate!


	3. Connection

The sound of shoes squeaking as they moved rapidly across a floor.

An indistinguishable shout.

An upset voice, high pitched and frightened. "Leave me alone! I don't want you anywhere near me!"

Another voice, gruff, angry. "Come off it, stop pretending. You know you want me."

The sound of fabric ripping.

"Get your hands off me! I hate you! I don't want you touching me!"

A struggle. More tearing sounds. A scream suddenly cut off by the sound of something heavy slamming into metal. A disoriented whimper.

A choked sob, a grunt, and then someone gagging.

"There, that's better. See? I knew you wanted it."

The gagging sound continues, accompanied by heavy breathing...

…

Three and a half hours earlier...

"And the 2011 Regional Champions are...The New Directions!"

Kurt was smothered in hugs from Mercedes, Tina, and Brittany as they all jumped up and down joyfully. They'd done it! They'd won! They were going to New York!

They shook hands with the Warblers, as well as Aural Intensity, who had taken third place. Blaine hugged him and whispered in his ear how proud he was of him. Kurt was giddy with happiness.

The hour long ride back to McKinley was a blur, everyone shouting and singing, even dancing in their seats. Back in the choir room, they celebrated with sparkling cider, sodas, and snacks that Ms. Pillsbury provided. They changed into their street clothes, no one seemed ready to stop partying just yet, but after a couple hours, they began leaving, one by one.

"Damn it, I've got a soda stain on my shirt," Kurt mumbled to Mercedes. They were the only ones left besides Santana and Brittany, who were just leaving. "I need to change."

"I can wait for you if you want?" Mercedes offered.

"No, you go on. I'll be fine. It's Saturday and we're the only ones in the school. I'll call you later."

"Ok, White Boy. Be safe." She kissed his cheek before gathering up her bag and heading for the door.

Kurt made his way toward his locker, where he always had a spare set of clothes. He was halfway there when he heard the footsteps behind him. He glanced back, thinking it was one of the other Glee kids, but what he saw made his heart skip a beat. Way down at the far end of the hallway was Karofsky, his eyes fixed on Kurt.

Kurt began to move faster, slipping his phone from his pocket. He was going to dial 911, but tears blinded him and his fingers were shaking too much from fear. He jabbed blindly at the screen, the hope being that the monster behind him would leave him alone if he was on the phone, not wanting anyone to know what he was doing. Kurt heard the ringing on the other end of the line. He thought someone answered, but he couldn't be too sure, because that was when the nightmare reached him.

…

Blaine slammed into Wes' room across the hall without knocking. "Call the police!" He still had his cell phone glued to his ear, and felt like he was going to vomit at the sounds he was hearing.

To Wes' credit, he dialed his phone immediately without asking questions. As soon as he'd hit send, he handed the phone over to the curly haired boy.

"911, what is the emergency?"

"I'm on the phone with my friend and someone is assaulting him."

"Do you know where your friend is?"

"I don't know for sure, he may be at William McKinley High School in Lima. They just won a competition and were going back there to celebrate. I don't know if he's still there or not. His phone is still on, I can hear them. It sounded like he was slammed into the lockers."

Wes, watched the younger male, saw the fear in his eyes.

"Ok, stay on the line while I contact the Lima PD and have them dispatch a unit to the school."

Blaine paced anxiously, still hearing those awful sounds coming from his cell phone. His heart nearly broke when he heard what sounded like a brief struggle, and then what sounded like someone getting slapped. Hard. Then that disgusting voice raised in anger, "Stop fighting! Why are you making things so difficult for yourself?"

Blaine fell to his knees, feeling so helpless.

"Sir?" The 911 operator came back on the line.

He took a ragged breath, wiping tears from his eyes. "Yeah?"

"Ok, there is a unit around the block, they'll be at the school in just a minute. While we're waiting, I need to get some information from you. First off, I need your name, and the name of your friend."

"My name is Blaine. Blaine Anderson. My friend is Kurt Hummel."

The operator asked him a few more questions, and he answered as best he could, until a sound from the other phone drew his attention. Grunting noises, and then the sound of someone retching.

"Mr. Anderson? Are you still there?"

"Yeah, uh, I can still hear them. The phone line is still open."

"What can you hear?"

Blaine listened for a moment. "The guy who attacked him is talking, but I can't understand what he's saying, it's too quiet. My friend is crying, and I think he may be vomiting. Oh god, please, he needs help!"

"The police are inside the building now, Mr. Anderson. If he's there they'll find him."

As if on cue, Blaine could hear shouts coming from the phone now.

…

Kurt hurt everywhere, but it really wasn't registering. He felt so cold and numb. Karofsky was saying something to him, but he didn't hear it. Shock was setting in fast. He wasn't aware of the shouts, the scuffle as the police officer tackled his attacker. Someone knelt down beside him, carefully avoiding the puddle of vomit. He thought someone said his name.

Nothing registered. His mind shut down completely. Someone touched his arm. He flinched and threw himself back, slamming into the bottom row of lockers and curling himself into a ball. More people crowded into the hallway.

An officer found the cell phone laying on the ground a few feet away, noting that the line was still open. He placed it to his ear. "Hello, Mr. Anderson?"

…

Blaine gripped the phone tighter when he heard the unfamiliar voice. "Yes! Is Kurt there? Is he ok? Oh god, someone needs to tell his Dad!"

"We'll handle that. Your friend is in shock right now. Paramedics are taking care of him. You did the right thing, calling the police and staying on the line with your friend. I'm going to hang up now. This phone will be bagged for evidence. An officer should be arriving at your location soon to take your statement. You should have your parents or someone there with you when you talk to them."

Blaine thanked the officer and shut the phone off finally. The dispatch operator asked him a couple more questions before disconnecting. Blaine sagged down, burying his face in the rug as he began to cry harder. Wes knelt beside him and hugged him, rubbing his hand soothingly over his back.

He cried until he ran out of tears, and then fell into a fitful sleep on the floor. Wes slipped a pillow under his head, and covered him with a blanket. He retrieved his phone and went out into the hallway, closing the door partway, but leaving a crack so he could keep an eye on his friend.

The first call he made was to the Admin building, letting them know that a police officer would be coming to the school, and explaining why. The second call was to David, explaining what had happened. He asked David to let the Warblers know that there had been an incident, but not to go into detail. His last call was to his Dad, who was an attorney. He'd asked him to contact Blaine's parents and meet them at the school.

…

Burt was just locking up the garage for the night when the phone next to the register rang. Usually he wouldn't answer the phone at this time, but rather let it go to voice mail. If it was an emergency call, there was an after hours number provided. Tonight, however, he picked up the receiver.

"Hummel Tire and Lube, this is Burt. How can I help you?"

"Mr. Hummel?"

Ten minutes later Burt raced into the ER, straight to the admissions desk. "I'm looking for my son, Kurt Hummel, they were bringing him in in an ambulance!"

The nurse behind the desk typed something in on her computer. "The ambulance just pulled in. They'll be bringing him through in just a minute. I'll have someone bring you back as soon as he's in his room."

He was about to respond when a voice called from the direction of the elevators.

"Burt!" Carole rushed towards him, still wearing her pediatric scrubs. "Kendra called me when she heard there was a patient coming in named Hummel. What happened? Is he okay?"

"I don't know, they're just offloading him from the ambulance now. The police said someone assaulted him at the school."

"Mr. Hummel?" A pretty young blond nurse said from the doorway to his left. He turned to her quickly. "Your son is in trauma room nine. I'll show you where that is."

"Is he ok?" Burt asked, walking quickly towards her.

"All I can tell you for now is that he is in shock. The doctor is in there with him now. They can answer your questions."

…

Blaine was stiff and sore, and so exhausted, but he didn't care. All he could think of was the pale boy with the amazing eyes. By the time the officer arrived, along with Wes' Dad, (his parents where in Columbus at some charity dinner and couldn't be reached,) and he'd given his statement, it was nearing midnight, much too late to make the two hour drive to Lima.

Wes and David had taken turns sitting up with him through the night, both had tried to assure him that Kurt would be okay, that the police had caught the bastard that had hurt him. Blaine appreciated their company and their attempts to comfort him, but his mind wouldn't stop trying to illustrate what the sounds he had heard might actually have been. At one point he got up and excused himself to the bathroom, were he proceeded to dry heave into the toilet.

He almost felt as he'd been violated along with his friend. He couldn't imagine what Kurt must be feeling right now.

As soon as the sun was up Sunday morning, Nick and Jeff had offered to drive him to Lima. He accepted, certain he wouldn't be able to drive himself but wanting to see Kurt. Wes and David followed behind with Thad and Trent.

When they arrived, they found most of New Directions sitting in the waiting room. Mercedes was sobbing hard into Quinn's shoulder while the blond girl whispered soothingly to her. Tina sat on her other side, also crying softly, her hand on the darker girl's back.

Sam, Mike, and Puck were pacing, while Artie tapped nervously on his wheels. There was no sign of Finn, but since he was family he was probably in with Kurt and his parents. Rachel was also missing, but Brittany and Santana were walking towards them from the direction of the cafeteria, each of them carrying a tray of coffee. They were the first ones to spot Blaine and the other Warblers.

"Preppy! What are you doing here?" Santana's usually bitchy voice actually seemed subdued today.

Blaine opened his mouth, but had to swallow the lump there before he could speak. "I, uh, I was on the phone with Kurt when he was attacked. I heard everything. Does anyone know how he's doing?"

"They have him sedated," Rachel's voice came from behind him. She'd apparently been in the gift shop. She was holding a small teddy bear that had a vase in its paws, which held an arrangement of sunflowers and foliage. There was a card on a plastic stick that read 'We Love You, Get Well Soon."

"His Dad and Carole and Finn are in there right now. They should be out in a few minutes, and then the doctor said a few of us could go in and see him, but he'll probably be asleep the whole time."

Blaine nodded, and he and the other Warblers went to sit down, except Wes, who offered to get him and the other Dalton boys coffee.

Mercedes sobbed harder when she saw Blaine. "Oh god, I shouldn't have left him! No one else was supposed to be in the school! I thought he was safe!"

Blaine moved to kneel in front of her. "Hey, shh! You didn't do anything wrong! The police said the guy had been following Kurt for days, just waiting for him to be alone. If you had been there, Karofsky would have just waited for another time. They said they found stuff in his car that indicated he was ready to break into his house if he had the chance. The bastard is sick. None of this is your fault!"

He leaned in and hugged the girl. She sobbed again, hugging him back tight. "What about you? Are you okay? Did you really hear what happened?"

Blaine fought down the bile in his stomach, and nodded. "I'm not gonna lie, it was pretty bad. I'm not going to go into detail, though. If Kurt wants to tell you about it, that's up to him. As for me, I don't think I'll ever stop hearing those sounds. I wanted to jump through the phone and beat the crap out of that asshole. I just felt so useless."

"You're not useless. You probably saved my son's life, getting the police there so quickly."

Blaine turned around to see a middle aged man standing behind him, still wearing grease stained overalls with the Hummel Tire and Lube logo on the breast pocket. He was a bear of a man, with a balding head partially hidden by a ball cap with the same logo on it.

"Mr. Hummel!" Blaine fought not to start bawling as he faced Kurt's Dad.

"I'm assuming you're Blaine Anderson, correct? Officer Daniels said you were the one who called them about the attack. It's good to meet you. Kurt told me about you a few weeks ago. Thank you for what you did for my boy."

"I only wish I could have done more for him, sir. And I'm glad to meet you too, although I wish it were under more pleasant circumstances." He reached out to shake the man's hand, only to find himself drawn into a bear hug.

"Call me Burt. Sir was my Dad."

Carole turned to the other teens waiting. "The Doctor said you can go in four at a time, and only for fifteen minutes each. Finn can show you where the room is."

Mercedes, Tina, Quinn and Rachel went first, with the latter carrying the teddy bear. Blaine waited until all of New Directions had gone in before finding himself sitting next to the boy who had sang so amazingly the day before.

There was a bandage above his left eye, and the skin around that gorgeous orb was black and blue and greenish. Both top and bottom lips were split. His left shoulder was wrapped in an A.C.E bandage, as was the wrist. An IV line was taped to the back of his right hand. There were lines attached to a monitor behind him, tracking his blood pressure and pulse ox levels.

Blaine reached out and took the hand closest to him, careful not to jar the IV line. "I'm so sorry, Kurt. I wish I could have been there to protect you."

Kurt began to stir on the bed, and slowly opened his eyes. He sleepily smiled when he saw the other boy. "Blaine," he murmured softly and let his eyes drift closed again. They opened again a moment later, blinking in confusion.

Blaine watched as memory returned to the pale skinned boy, saw the terror fill those glasz eyes. Blaine leapt to his feet as Kurt threw himself to the other side of the bed and vomited over the railing.


	4. After

Four days, 17 hours, thirty nine minutes,and nineteen seconds ago, he had been the happiest he had ever been in his life. Now he couldn't even remember what that felt like. He was numb. He had no idea who he was anymore. He didn't know how he was supposed to move forward from this.

He hadn't spoken a word since that softly whispered name after waking from sedation. Before the memories had returned. His throat was swollen, and there had been some damage, but the doctors weren't sure yet how bad, or if it was permanent or not. He hadn't been able to keep any food down. Not that he had tried to eat very much. He still had the IV in his hand to keep him hydrated, so they weren't too concerned about him not eating yet. They kept him sedated most of the time. Just enough to keep him calm, not necessarily to make him sleep.

His Dad was there most of the time, but Kurt couldn't look at him. Carole and Finn were there a lot, too, but again, he didn't look at them. The girls had come back after school on Monday. He did look at Mercedes. She sobbed and begged him to forgive her for leaving him alone. He'd hugged her, wiped her tears, but hadn't spoken. It had been enough though. She'd seemed calmer when she left.

The police had come to talk to him Sunday night. He'd written a statement for them. The handwriting hadn't look like his. It had been messy, uneven. When he tried to write what Karofsky had done to him, had forced him to do, he lost it. He'd had a full blown panic attack, and tried to vomit again, but his stomach had been empty. He'd almost dislodged the IV. He had managed to knock over the stand with the monitors on it before they'd gotten him sedated again.

Right now he was alone. Carole had urged Burt to at least go and get something to eat. He didn't want to be alone, didn't want to think about what had happened, but he also didn't want everyone looking at him.

A nurse came in with a lunch tray, smiling sweetly at him. "Hi, cutie. The Doc wants you to try and eat something again. He's ordered a B.R.A.T. tray for you until they know how much damage there is to your throat."

He ignored her. Didn't even look at the food. The nurse wasn't even perturbed. "You know why they call it a brat tray, right?" She didn't seem to notice that he didn't really care, straightening his sheets and moving the swinging table closer to the bed. "They call it a brat tray because most of the time it's for small kids who are too sick to eat anything else, and they end up throwing it on the floor like a brat."

Kurt managed a frown, a pale shadow of his usual Bitch, Please face. She laughed at him. "Okay, B.R.A.T. Stands for bananas, rice, applesauce and toast, although no toast for you just yet. Doc didn't want to chance anything even remotely solid. So you have over cooked rice, chicken broth, applesauce, a banana, and some tapioca pudding. Oh, and strawberry jello."

Kurt continued to ignore her, but she just seemed to take it in stride, checking the monitors and IV line, and asking if he needed to use the restroom. "By the way, I'm Amelia. Just ring the nurses' station if you need anything."

As she was heading to the door, it opened, revealing Blaine. Amelia smiled warmly. "Oh, hello. I was just leaving, so he's all yours. Try and get him to eat something." She glanced back at Kurt, winked and stage whispered, "He's a hottie! You should snag him up before someone else does!"

After the door closed behind her, Kurt slowly lifted his eyes to the hazel eyed boy. Kurt wasn't sure how to feel. He knew that Blaine had been the one who he'd blindly dialed that night. Knew that Blaine had heard everything. Blaine KNEW what had been done to him. Blaine had been the one to call the police.

What would the handsome boy think about him now? He had hoped that their friendship had been turning into something more, but did Blaine still want that now? Or would he think Kurt was tainted somehow? Would he start backing off, until even the friendship crumbled and faded away?

…

It broke Blaine's heart to see those beautiful eyes dimmed, dulled by horror and the sedatives they used to keep him relatively calm, and in higher doses to keep the nightmares at bay. He smiled shyly as he moved closer to the bed.

"How are you feeling today?"

Kurt didn't answer, just continued to look at him. Blaine sat down in the chair, and carefully took the fair skinned boy's hand, not certain if his touch would be allowed. When the other boy didn't pull away, he squeezed lightly.

"I heard the doctor tell your Dad that there was some swelling in your throat. You don't have to try and talk to me. I'm just so happy you're alive and safe." Kurt blinked, seemed to be trying to hold back tears. Instinctively he reached out to brush the older boy's cheek. "I was so scared when I heard what was happening. I wished so much that I could have been there to protect you from him.

Kurt reached out with his free hand to place it over the other boy's mouth, shaking his head. He reached for a notebook on the side table.

Not your fault. He wrote.

Blaine smiled weakly. "I know, but it just seemed so unfair that you were alone."

I wasn't alone. You were there, even if only on the phone.

It was Blaine's turn to cry now. He wiped the tears away and cleared his throat. "So, um, do you want to try and eat something?"

Kurt shook his head rapidly.

"You need to eat, you don't want them to think you're anorexic."

The other boy just shook his head again, his eyes filled with some emotion Blaine couldn't discern. "Why not?"

Kurt hesitated before writing his response, hand shaking.

I can still taste Him.

Blaine almost choked when he read the words. He had to take a deep breath before he looked back up into those amazing blue eyes. He didn't know what to say. A thought struck him, but he wasn't sure he should act on it, didn't want to terrify the boy.

"Maybe I can help you?"

Bruised glasz eyes studied him warily for a moment, and then mouthed the word, "how?"

Very slowly Blaine leaned closer, taking his time, letting the frightened boy on the bed get used to the idea, hesitating a breath away, waiting to see if the other boy would pull away.

The kiss was light, barely there, sweet. Blaine pulled back a fraction, looking into that angel face, watching for some sign. Apparently finding what he was searching for, he leaned in again, this time lightly stroking his tongue over that pale pink bottom lip. Kurt sighed softly, parted his lips slightly, allowing Blaine's tongue to slide in briefly, stroking over the muscle there. He withdrew as slowly as he'd entered, and sat back.

"There, now you taste me. Think about that instead." He carefully reached over to the tray of food without looking away from Kurt's eyes and grabbed the first item he touched. Applesauce, perfect. He picked up the spoon and scooped up a small amount. Holding that cerulean stare, he brought the spoon to the lips he'd just kissed. Kurt hesitated for a moment before taking the bite.

He rolled the tangy sweet concoction over his tongue for a moment, then swallowed. It hurt, but it went down. Another spoonful was offered. This one went down a little easier. Soon the applesauce was replaced by the chicken broth, which was interspersed with bites of mushy rice.

...

By the time Blaine was feeding him the tapioca, Burt returned from his own lunch. He'd entered so silently, Neither boy noticed him right away. He paused, watching the curly haired boy feeding his son, reaching out tenderly to wipe a spot of pudding off of Kurt's chin. The gesture had seemed so intimate.

He also noticed the way Kurt was watching the prep school boy. His son had barely glanced at him since he woke up the first time, but he was looking at Blaine as if he was the last life preserver on a sinking ship.

"Do you want to try the jello?" The dark haired boy asked softly. Kurt shook his head no.

"He never really was a fan of jello," Burt commented, letting them know he was there. Kurt looked up at him, and for the first time since getting that phone call, Burt felt certain his son would be okay.

…

Kurt was released two days later. The swelling in his throat had lessened, though he still had trouble swallowing. His speaking voice was gradually returning, but there was still some question about whether he would be able to sing again. The doctor believed he would, but cautioned that he may have lost some of his vocal range. He was under orders not to attempt to sing until he had seen a specialist. Actually, he was told to speak as little as possible until then, as well.

As he walked into his room, he was surprised that it seemed so ordinary. He wasn't the same person that he had been the last time he had left this room. Why should the room still be the same? Shouldn't it feel like a stranger's room? But no, everything was just as he'd left it.

He went to the closet and found a pair of sweats and an oversized sweater, then gathered up the things he needed for bubble bath. He wanted to soak for hours. His left arm still hurt when he moved it too much. His shoulder had been dislocated when he'd been thrown at full force into the lockers, the wrist sprained from the bruising grip it had been held in.

They'd made him see a counselor before he'd left the hospital. She'd told him that victims often felt the need to shower and scrub repeatedly, but that wasn't what Kurt wanted. He just wanted the comforting warmth and to not think for a while.

They'd weened him off the sedatives the last few days, so his mind no longer seemed clouded, and so many thoughts had tried to rush in, all screaming for attention first. He sat in the tub and forced every thought away except one.

Blaine kissed me, and I liked it.

They hadn't talked about it, what it implied. Kurt knew he was clinging to the thought to keep the darker thoughts from overwhelming him. He wanted it to mean something, but what if Blaine had only done it to get him to eat? It had been an effective diversion, though the fact that Blaine had spoon fed him had more to do with it than the kiss. He'd eaten because Blaine wanted him to, and he wanted to make Blaine happy.

The handsome boy had returned the next day, and once more had fed him when they'd brought him a tray. Blaine had talked more about himself as he'd spooned up bits of creamed spinach, something that he thought was supposed to be mashed potatoes and gravy but tasted more like glue, and chocolate pudding for Kurt. He talked about his outrageous brother who was auditioning for a role on a new TV series about high school kids in a musical drama club. He'd talked about his parents, who still refused to understand that he was gay and kept trying to set him up with 'some nice girl.'

He'd even managed to make Kurt smile briefly when a nurse had been so taken with the dapper boy's good looks that she had flirted shamelessly. Blaine had been taken aback, and had been reduced to stammering. He was adorable when he was flustered.

A knock on the bathroom door drew him from his thoughts, and he realized he must have been in there for a long time, the water was almost cold. His Dad's voice called out softly. "You ok in there, Kurt?"

Kurt knocked on the side of the tub to let his Dad know he was alive still, and pulled the plug. He wrapped himself in a towel and went to the door, opening it a crack.

"I'm fine." His voice was hoarse, sounding like someone with strep throat.

Burt nodded and turned away, calling over his shoulder "Carole made you some tea, it's in your room. And she's making that cauliflower cheese soup you like for dinner. It'll be ready in an hour."

Kurt dried off and got dressed in his lay about outfit, then went back to his room to drink the tea. It felt good on his throat. He turned on his TV and DVD player combo, and slipped in the first disk he grabbed, not particular about what he watched, just wanting a distraction. As the intro to "Belle" began, a chime sounded, indicating a text message on his phone. He smiled softly seeing Blaine's picture on the screen.

Hope you are home safe. Miss you. Can I come by this evening? -B

Kurt didn't need to think twice before responding.

I miss you, too. Yes, please come over. -K

Blaine's reply came back almost as quickly.

I'm leaving in fifteen minutes. See you soon! -B

Kurt finished his tea, and had almost dozed off when Finn called out that dinner was ready. He didn't rush, slowly making his way downstairs to the dinning room. Burt was helping Finn set the table while Carole removed a tray of garlic bread from the oven and transferred it to a serving tray. She brought the platter over to the table and returned for the pot of soup. Everything was set, and Kurt felt a little guilty for not helping with anything. Friday night dinners were a big deal in the Hummel-Hudson house, and usually everyone pitched in, at least helping to set the table as Finn had.

Everyone sat down, smiling and chatting about their day. Carole was talking about a new patient they'd had, a little girl who had fell out of a tree trying to rescue her kitten. Burt talked about the lady who had come in to get her car fixed. The ditz had decided that vegetable oil would be an acceptable substitute for motor oil and had trashed her engine. Kurt listened, even smiling as if everything was normal. The soup was delicious. He'd even managed to nibble at a piece of the garlic bread and some of the salad.

Then Finn brought up school. "We had a substitute in World History today. Ms. Holliday. You remember her, Kurt? She asked about you. I told her about what happened. She said to say hi and hoped you were feeling better."

It had been such a simple comment. Innocent. Nothing out of the ordinary, but suddenly Kurt couldn't breathe. The food seemed to be trapped in his throat. He jumped up from the table and ran to the downstairs bathroom, barely making it to the porcelain bowl before vomiting.


	5. Conversations

Blaine smiled as he slipped into his car, turning the radio up as he pulled out of the Dalton Parking lot. The last couple of days with Kurt just seemed magical. He knew he shouldn't feel that way considering the circumstances, but he couldn't help it.

Wednesday, as he was leaving, Burt had stopped him in the hallway and told him that he had seen the way Blaine had been taking care of Kurt. Had seen the way Kurt had looked at him, how Blaine was his life preserver in treacherous seas. He basically told Blaine that he approved of him, and that as long as he made his son happy, he wouldn't stand in the way.

Of course he also made it perfectly clear that if Blaine's halo slipped and got tarnished, that he had a shotgun and wasn't afraid to use it.

Blaine made the drive to Lima in just under two hours, and he hadn't even been speeding. He'd gotten lucky to beat the worst of the traffic. He pulled into the Hummel-Hudson driveway, whistling Teenage Dream. He checked his hair in the side mirror one last time before making his way up to the front door and ringing the bell.

He knew something was wrong the instant Carole opened the door. "Blaine! Thank god you're here!"

She all but dragged him inside the house. "What's wrong? Where's Kurt?"

"He's locked himself in the downstairs bathroom, we don't know exactly why. One second he was fine, the next he was choking and running for the bathroom. We heard him vomiting." She looked scared, as did Burt when Blaine saw him sitting outside the bathroom, talking through the door softly.

Burt looked up at him in relief. "Kurt? Honey, Blaine is here. Will you let him in to talk to you?"

When there was no reply, Blaine moved closer to the door. "Kurt? Can I come in please?"

Still no reply, but after a moment, the lock clicked. Blaine looked from Burt to Carole before slipping through the door and closing it behind him. He glanced around the room, which was decorated in soft sea colors with sand and coral colored accents.

Kurt sat on the floor between the sink and the commode, knees tucked up under his chin, arms wrapped tightly around them. Blaine slid down across from the bathtub, which was between the door and the commode.

Neither one spoke for a moment. Kurt was staring into space as Blaine studied him.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Kurt didn't respond right away, but after a moment, he shifted, moving closer until his head was on Blaine's knee, arms wrapped around one of his legs. Blaine stroked his fingers lightly through the fairer boy's hair, waiting patiently. It was a while, but soon Kurt began to talk. His voice was raspy and coarse, and Blaine had to strain to here everything.

"Everything was fine, just a regular Friday night dinner. Carole talked about one of her patients. Dad talked about the shop. It was good. It was normal. And then Finn was talking about the substitute they had in World History, and suddenly all I could think about was school, and that hallway, and suddenly I was there again, and He was there, and that taste was back and I..."

Blaine soothed him as he started crying again. "Shh, it's all right. It's normal to have flashbacks. The important thing is to remember that it's over. He can't hurt you anymore. He's locked away in a jail cell. It will take time, you're still healing. Just take one day at a time. And if that seems to be too much, then take it one minute at a time."

Kurt shuddered and sniffled. Blaine reached over and grabbed some tissue from the roll, handing it to Kurt to blow his nose on. They sat in silence for a little while as Kurt's shaking and sobs calmed.

When he slowly sat up and turned to face the shorter boy, Blaine all but held his breath, waiting for the pale boy to make the first move. Very slowly, those glasz eyes moved closer and closer, millimeter by millimeter. When their lips finally touched, he allowed the other boy to lead the kiss, responding but not pushing for more.

When Kurt's tongue tentatively brushed his lips, he opened them slightly, keeping his tongue to himself for the moment, letting the timid boy take his time, allowing him to explore at his own pace. When he felt the tongue shyly slip between his teeth, he wanted to roar in victory, but held himself still.

A hand came up to rest on his cheek, and he couldn't hold back any longer, and slowly took control of the kiss, deepening it a little, stroking the other boy's tongue with his own. After a moment he slowly drew back. He studied the other's boy face, falling into those cerulean depths. He leaned in and kissed him again, allowing his tongue to sweep into Kurt's mouth briefly before pulling back once more.

"Are you ready to face the world now? Or at least your family?" He teased softly.

The pale boy blushed, and smiled softly, then nodded. He got to his feet slowly, then took a deep breath before inching the door open.

…

Kurt wasn't sure if he could face his Dad after that meltdown, but as he emerged from the bathroom with Blaine on his heals, the man pulled him into a bear hug.

"We'll get through this, Kurt. You'll get through this. You're strong. Maybe not physically, but emotionally. You're one of the bravest men I know. You'll see. You'll be okay."

"I love you, Dad." Kurt croaked out, hugging his Dad just as tight.

Over his shoulder, Burt looked at Blaine. A silent message passed between the two, and the curly haired boy simply nodded.

"Do you want to try to eat again, Kurt?" Blaine asked. "Something smells delicious."

Kurt closed his eyes and took another deep breath, then nodded yes.

"Why don't you two go on up to Kurt's room and I'll bring a tray up for you?" Carole offered.

Blaine smiled politely and thanked her, and followed Kurt upstairs.

"Do you want to watch a movie?" Kurt rasped. "I was watching Beauty and the Beast. I could start it over. Or you can pick something else if you like."

"Beauty and the Beast is fine. I have something of a Disney fixation." The shorter boy smiled and blushed at the confession. Kurt thought the blush was cute.

"Me too." He restarted the video, and the two boys settled on the bed. As the previews ran, Carole brought up a tray with two bowls of soup, some garlic bread, and some sorbet for dessert.

"Just leave the tray outside the door when you're done. I'll collect it later." She smiled sweetly at both boys, then left, closing the door most of the way.

They settled back, watching the movie. Blaine fed some of the soup to Kurt in between bites of his own. By the time Be Our Guest began, they had finished the soup and bread. Blaine began to sing along as he fed Kurt some of the sorbet, which actually made Kurt laugh.

Outside in the hallway, Burt stopped on his way to his own room, his shoulders relaxing as if a weight had been taken off of them.

…

Kurt had fallen asleep before the villagers stormed the castle. He was curled up against Blaine's side, looking more peaceful than he had since he had taken the stage at regionals. He was gently stroking his fingers through the sleeping boy's hair, watching him breath. He didn't want to move.

A very light knock on the door drew his attention as Burt quietly opened it. Blaine started to sit up, but Burt waved him back.

"Don't wake him up," the elder Hummel said softly. "The doctor said he'd probably sleep a lot, and to let him. I just wanted to see if you needed anything? Do you need me to call your parents and let them know where you are?"

Blaine shook his head no, and spoke just as softly. "They're in Cincinnati for the weekend. I sent them a text that I was visiting a friend. I should be heading back to Dalton soon, though."

"It's too late tonight to drive that far. You're welcome to spend the night."

"Thank you, sir."

"Hey, I told you, sir was my Dad. Call me Burt."

Blaine smiled. "Thank you, Burt."

Kurt's Dad glanced down at the sleeping boy once more, then left, closing the door most of the way once more.

Blaine slid down carefully on the bed to get more comfortable. Kurt snuggled closer in his sleep, sighing softly as his head came to rest on Blaine's shoulder, one hand draping over his stomach. Smiling to himself, Blaine held the angel closer to him, and fell asleep.

…

Awareness came to him slowly as the sounds of birds singing woke him. He inhaled softly and his nose was filled with the pleasant scent of ripe summer berries and cedar and something masculine that he couldn't describe. When he opened his eyes, they met warm gold, and the dark haired boy smiled sleepily at him.

"Good morning, star-shine. The Earth says hello," Blaine sang softly.

Kurt thought he would feel awkward waking up to a boy in his bed, especially after what had happened. But rather than being afraid or uncomfortable, he felt safe. Even without the sedatives to help him sleep, there had been no nightmares in the middle of the night. He had slept for almost twelve hours, wrapped in Blaine's arms.

Shyly, he smiled at the other boy. He was beginning to believe that his life wasn't over, that maybe there was a chance that one day he would be himself again.

The two boys got up, and Kurt loaned the shorter boy some clothes and let him take a shower first, then after cleaning up and getting changed himself, they headed downstairs to breakfast.

Burt sat at the table eating an egg white omelet with whole wheat toast and orange juice. Carole was at the stove, fixing more omelets. Kurt went to the fridge to get the plastic tub of mixed fruit and some orange juice for him and Blaine. Blaine offered to help with the toast, but was shooed away.

"Where's Finn?" Kurt asked, voice still barely more than a hoarse whisper.

"Sam invited him to go fishing with his little brother and a cousin who is visiting. They left about an hour ago." Carole answered as she set a plate in front of Blaine and another in front of Kurt.

They ate in silence for a little while. Kurt carefully cut his food into very tiny bites and chewed very well before swallowing. After a few minutes, Burt cleared his throat.

"I thought that since Blaine was here, maybe we could talk about the idea of you transferring to Dalton. I know that they caught that boy, and you don't have to worry about him anymore, but I'm not sure I feel comfortable about you going back to that school anytime soon."

Kurt set his fork down slowly, still looking down at his plate. He didn't speak right away, but thought about his response, knowing his Dad needed him to think about it. "I don't know if I can go back there yet. I don't know if I can go near that hallway and not think about..."

His voice broke and he stopped and gathered himself. Blaine took his hand and squeezed it. The fair boy held onto it, lacing their fingers, taking strength from the curly haired boy. He took a deep breath. "I have to try, though. It's the only way I can truly face what happened. Besides, I don't want to leave my friends. They've been there for me through everything. Even when they didn't know the whole story, they knew something was wrong, and they tried to help me."

Burt studied his face for a moment, and nodded. "I can understand that, Kurt, but you don't have to face it right away. What if we consider sending you to Dalton just to finish out this school year, and then come summer, we'll talk about if you still want to go back to McKinley? What do you think, Blaine?"

Blaine studied both Kurt and his Dad for a few minutes. "I think Kurt should go back to McKinley. As much as I would love for him to come to Dalton, to give him that time to heal, I don't think it would be fair to him to make him leave New Directions. After all, He was the only reason they beat us at regionals." He smiled at the glasz eyed boy, who shyly blushed and smiled in return.

But the smile faded and Kurt was thoughtful for a moment. "What if I can't sing ever again, though? What if I stay, and still can't be in Glee club anymore?"

"Do you think they won't still be your friends if you can't sing with them at Nationals? I've seen them, Kurt. They all care about you. That won't change if you can never sing another note. But I believe you will sing again. Maybe not in time for Nationals this year. Maybe not even in time for Sectionals next year, but you will sing again. You have to believe in yourself."

He sat there, looking back and forth between Blaine and his Dad. He knew he would return to William McKinley, but when? Should he go to Dalton, even just until the end of the year, until he had enough time recover emotionally? Or should he try to face his ghosts as quickly as possible? His Dad said he was strong. Blaine said he believed in him.

He took a deep breath, reaching for his courage. He squeezed Blaine's hand, and looked his Dad in the eyes.

"I want to go back to McKinley."


	6. 10,080

After breakfast, and the talk with Burt, Blaine followed Kurt back up to his room, and they watched a couple more Disney videos, but the curly haired boy was getting fidgety. He needed some fresh air.

"Do you want to go for a walk? Or maybe take a picnic to the park?" He liked spending time with the pale skinned boy, even just sitting side by side on the bed, but he didn't want Kurt hiding out in his room all the time. He knew the other boy needed to get outside just as much as he did.

After a short hesitation, Kurt nodded. "A picnic would be nice, maybe."

Blaine smiled. "Why don't you get ready to go out, and I'll go see what your step mom has in the kitchen."

Downstairs, Carole was watching a gardening show on TV. Burt had gone to the garage a couple hours ago. "Hey, Mrs. Hudson, Kurt and I were thinking of going on a picnic. I was wondering what there is that we might be able to take."

"Oh, Blaine, call me Carole. I can fix something for you boys." She turned the TV off and lead him into the kitchen. Together they put together a nice lunch of fruit salad, chopped extra small to make it easier for Kurt to swallow, some strawberry yogurt, diced chicken breast with a berry balsamic vinaigrette to dip it in, and cucumber slices with a little sprinkle of dill. Blaine added a few bottles of water and a thermos of lemonade to the picnic basket Carole had gotten from the hall closet.

By the time they had everything packed up, Kurt had finished getting changed and was coming down the stairs with a blanket under his arm. They took Blaine's car and drove to a local park that had a small lake and lots of trees. They set their blanket up under a weeping willow, whose flowing leaves skimmed the water near the edge of the lake.

As they ate, they talked about music, musicals, Disney, and movies. When the food was gone, Blaine lay down on the blanket in the shade of the willow, and Kurt rested his head on his shoulder. The tree gave them the illusion of being in their own private world.

"Would you go out with me?"

Kurt looked at the darker boy in surprise. "You mean on a date?"

"Yeah, a real date. Dinner and a movie." Blaine lazily ran his hand up and down Kurt's arm.

"When?"

"Why not tonight?"

"I'd like that."

"Good. And would you do one thing for me?"

"What?"

Blaine rolled a little so he could face him better. "Would you be my boyfriend?"

Kurt's eyes went wide in shock, and all he could do was nod his head yes. The curly haired boy smiled, and leaned in for their first real kiss as a couple.

They lay there on the blanket for a long time, holding each other, occasionally kissing, but mostly just getting lost in each other's eyes. After a while, Kurt dozed off. Blaine continued to hold him and lightly stroke his hair, humming softly.

It was perfect.

…

Blaine dropped Kurt off at his house and said he'd be back in a couple of hours to pick him up for their date. He had some errands to run first. Kurt watched him drive away, and hugged himself, holding in the feelings that were trying to burst out of him.

Boyfriend.

It was scary, and exciting, and Kurt didn't know if he wanted to run and hide or scream in joy. He walked into the house, smiling. His Dad was sitting on the couch watching a baseball game. Burt looked up at him as he walked in. "How are you feeling, kiddo?"

"I have a boyfriend, and he's taking me on a date tonight."

The elder Hummel chuckled softly. "Well, I sure hope you're talking about Blaine. I like that kid."

Kurt rolled his eyes, but couldn't help but smile wider. "Of course I mean Blaine."

And then a thought struck him and his smile faltered. "Oh god, I've got a date tonight! What am I going to wear?"

Burt's laughter followed as he raced upstairs to search for the perfect date outfit.

As he was getting ready, his cell phone chimed. It was a new phone, Burt had gotten it for him the day before he got out of the hospital, as the police still had his old phone in their evidence locker. All of his contacts had already been added, so when Kurt looked at the screen, he saw Mercedes' Divalicious face smile up at him.

"Hey, White Boy! I just wanted to see how you were feeling?"

"Mercy! I have a date tonight!"

"What? With who? That Dalton cutie?"

"Yes, Blaine."

"Kurt! I'm so happy for you! I've been worried for you for so long, and then when..." She stopped, didn't want to ruin the moment. "You deserve so much happiness, Kurt. We all saw how he looked at you, and how you looked at him. I'm glad you two found each other."

"Thank you, Mercy. I love you. All of you, even Santana and Puck, helped me when I really needed. I don't think I would have survived as long as I did without all of you."

"Awe, babe, you know I love you too. I miss you." She hesitated a moment before asking, "are you coming back to school?"

Kurt sat down on his bed, taking a deep breath. "Yeah. Dad and I talked about it this morning. He's worried about me going back there, and I have to admit the thought scares the crap out of me. But I have to do it. I need to be in control of my life. Blaine agrees with me. I'll be back on Monday. I just don't know if I'll still be able to be in Glee. I'm not allowed to sing until I see the specialist."

"When do you go see them?"

"Friday. Dad is going to drive me to Cleveland to see them."

"Well, you can still come to Glee. Everyone is dying to see you. And maybe I can go with you when you see the specialist?"

"I'd like that, Mercedes. Thank you."

"Good. Now I'll let you go finish getting ready for your date. And Hummel, you better text me with the deets the minute you get home!"

…

Blaine picked him up at five forty five. He'd changed his clothes, gotten his hair trimmed and styled, and had brought flowers, a bouquet of Sunflowers and bachelor buttons.

Kurt smiled as he took them. "Thank you! Sunflowers are my favorites."

"I know, I got a mysterious text from Mercedes earlier that just said Sunflowers, Godiva Chocolate covered strawberries, and Gucci."

Both boys laughed. Carole took the Bouquet and said she'd put them in water for him, and hugged him before heading to the kitchen. Burt came out of the living room and shook his hand. "Blaine, take care of my boy tonight, okay?"

"I promise. We won't be out too long. I'm taking him to that new Asian fusion place, and then a movie."

Burt smiled, and slipped Blaine a $20. "Popcorn and sodas are on me."

As they slid into Blaine's car, Kurt studied the other boy. "Where did you get the clothes? You didn't have time to drive all the way to Dalton and back, and I know you live further out than that."

"Nick's Aunt lives nearby. He stays with her sometimes during the summer, so he has some clothes there. She let me borrow some, since he and I are about the same size."

"Which one was Nick? He seems to have good taste in clothes."

Blaine laughed. "He was the dark haired boy who teasingly called you the Ninja Coffee Boy. But Jeff actually bought these clothes for him. Jeff was the blond blabber mouth who told the Warblers about you. The two of you would probably get along great, you both love to shop."

"That could be fun. So are he and Nick dating?"

"They're practically married. They've been together since sixth grade."

"Tell me more about the other Warblers. I really didn't get to talk to them much at the competition."

Blaine talked about his friends as they drove to the restaurant. When they arrived and had been seated, they continued to talk more about the people in their lives. Dinner was excellent, although Kurt felt kind of awkward having to cut everything up into small manageable bites. Towards the end of the meal, he noticed Blaine kept glancing surreptitiously at his watch.

As the waiter brought their dessert, Blaine fiddled with something under the table briefly. Suddenly Kurt's phone chimed with an incoming text. Glancing at it, he looked up at Blaine in confusion. The Curly haired boy just smiled and indicated for him to read it.

10,080. One Minute at a time. Blaine.

It took a moment for the pale boy to decipher the meaning. Only when he saw the time stamp on the message did it fully register. It had been exactly a week. 10,080 minutes since his life had taken a detour in a direction he had never expected or wanted to go. But he was still alive. Still Kurt. And he knew, no matter what he would face in the next few days, next few weeks, or even the next year, he would make it through.

One minute at a time.


	7. Courage

Monday morning arrived in a flash of lightning and rumble of thunder. Kurt sat at the breakfast table chewing his toast carefully and sipping at his cup of tea. He usually would have had more for breakfast, some fruit and yogurt at least, but he was nervous and didn't want to risk putting too much food in his stomach.

"You don't have to go in today, you know." His Dad said softly, still worried about his boy. "You can take a few more days off if you want. Finn can bring you your assignments."

"Yeah, dude, I don't mind."

"Don't call me dude. I'll be fine. I promise, if even the smallest thing happens, I'll call you to come get me, Dad."

"Okay, kiddo, okay. I know I can't keep you locked in a tower for the rest of your life, no matter how much I want to protect you."

"I love you, Dad. They may call me Porcelain, but I won't break."

"We better get going, or we're going to be late for first period." Finn stuffed another sausage link in his mouth as he stood. Kurt leaned over and hugged his Dad and kissed his cheek.

They gathered up their bags and rain coats and umbrellas and dashed out to Finn's truck. As they drove, the taller boy talked about everything that had been going on in Glee Club the past week.

"Oh, by the way, Santana switched lockers with you. She and Brittany moved everything for you, made sure that everything was placed in the new locker just the way it had been in the old."

"Santana did that?"

"Yeah, she thought maybe it would help out if you didn't have to go down that hallway as often."

Kurt sat in silence for a while, holding back the tears. Santana, of all people, had understood his biggest fear of returning to McKinley. He knew he would still have to face that space again, his English Lit class was at one end of it. But now he wouldn't have to face it first thing on coming back. Kurt would have to find some way of thanking the Latina.

They pulled into the parking lot, and Kurt just sat there, staring at the building for several heartbeats. He could do this. His phone chimed with an incoming text.

Courage. -B

Kurt smiled at the single word. His boyfriend must have gotten his schedule from someone, and had timed the message just perfectly. He slid the phone back into his bag, and reached for the door handle.

…

He was used to people whispering about him in the halls. The not so subtle glances in his direction. In that regard nothing had changed. Only the words murmured about him had. Instead whispering about the gay kid who had been bullied, now their hushed conversations where about the boy who had been raped.

It didn't matter that technically he was still a virgin. Sexual assault was sexual assault, no matter the form it took. Kurt had managed to block out the voices through his first two classes, but now came the moment he had been dreading. English Lit. Which meant he had to walk down That Hallway.

"Are you're sure you're ok, Kurt?" Artie, who shared the same class as him, asked as he sat in his wheelchair beside him. Kurt had stopped walking as he had entered the familiar stretch of paint chipped walls and crimson lockers.

Kurt's stomach had begun to churn and bile rose in his throat, but he fought it down. "Let's go." His voice cracked, but Artie smiled and pretended not to notice as they began to move at a rapid pace.

As they approached that section of lockers, Kurt's steps faltered.

"Grab on to my chair and close your eyes." The nerdy baritone said. "I'll get you there safe."

A brief struggle took place in Kurt's mind. He didn't want to be needy and cling to someone else for protection, but he didn't think he had the strength yet to move on his own. He smiled gratefully at his friend and did as he suggested.

He allowed the other boy to guide him through the crowd, past the place of his worst nightmare. Once they reached the door, Artie reached back and took his hand. "We're here."

Kurt nodded, and moved to take his seat, still shaking. His face was paler than usual, and a cold sweat chilled his face and back, but he hadn't vomited, hadn't completely freaked out. He could do this.

Courage.

He would have to face that hall once more to get to lunch after this class, but for the moment, it was a small victory.

…

As he and the bespectacled boy headed back down that hallway, once more with Artie guiding him again, he realized the other boy was leading him away from the cafeteria. "Where are we going?"

"It's surprise."

It wasn't hard to figure out after a minute that they were going to the auditorium. He found all of New Directions waiting for them. As they entered, Puck and Finn helped carry Artie's chair on stage.

"What's going on?" Kurt asked.

"Well, we thought you could use a little break, so we decided we'd all eat lunch in here together, so you didn't have to put up with the staring and whispers in the cafeteria or courtyard." Tina smiled as she drew him up on stage. "And we have something for you."

Quinn smiled and took his other hand. "Last year you were there when I needed a friend. Now it's time for us to repay the favor. So sit down and listen."

Music began to play from Rachel's iPod. Santana's sultry voice lead into the song.

When you're down and troubled and you need a helping hand  
and nothing, whoa, nothing is going right.

Brittany joined her for the next line.

Close your eyes and think of me and soon I will be there to brighten up even your darkest nights.

Mercedes, Tina and Rachel took the chorus

You just call out my name, and you know where ever I am  
I'll come running to see you again.  
Winter, spring, summer, or fall, all you have to do is call and I'll be there, yeah, yeah,  
you've got a friend.

Finn and Sam started in on the next verse.

If the sky above you should turn dark and full of clouds  
and that old north wind should begin to blow,

Mike and Puck came in with the next line.  
keep your head together and call my name out loud.  
Soon I will be knocking upon your door.

Artie's voice came in next with Quinn.

You just call out my name, and you know where ever I am  
I'll come running to see you again.

Rachel sang the next line, with the other girls all bringing in an added harmony.

Winter, spring, summer, or fall, all you have to do is call and I'll be there.

Hey, ain't it good to know that you've got a friend? People can be so cold.  
They'll hurt you and desert you. Well, they'll take your soul if you let them,  
oh yeah, but don't you let them.

Mercedes took over the lead for the final chorus, with the others blending their voices in an echo.

You just call out my name, and you know where ever I am  
I'll come running to see you again.  
Winter, spring, summer, or fall, all you have to do is call, Lord, I'll be there, yeah, yeah,  
you've got a friend. You've got a friend.  
Ain't it good to know you've got a friend. Ain't it good to know you've got a friend.  
Oh, yeah, yeah, you've got a friend.

Kurt smiled at his friends, tears sliding down his face as they all fell around him in a massive group hug. "Thank you all. You don't know how much this means to me. You all are the greatest friends ever."

They laughed and started settling down to their lunches when Kurt's phone chimed another text alert.

Did you get the present I sent you? -B

Kurt looked confused for a moment, but just then Quinn and Tina pulled a box from behind the curtain and handed it to him. "Blaine said to give you these after lunch," Tina grinned.

There was a note attached. "Something sweet for you to share with your friends."

Kurt opened the box to find two dozen chocolate covered strawberries. He laughed and showed the others before texting his boyfriend back.

Delicious -K

…

He was exhausted when Mercedes dropped him of at home since Finn had football practice that afternoon, but his spirits were high. He'd made it through his first day back without any major panic attacks or other issues. He could handle the stares and the whispers.

As he made his way through the hall to the stairs, he was surprised to hear his Dad call out to him. "Kurt, can you come in here for a minute, there are some people who'd like to talk to you."

He walked into the living room, curious. There were three people in the living room with Burt. One was a woman who was about three inches taller than Kurt, and wearing a navy blue dress suit that was tailored perfectly for her. Her red hair was swept up into a classic french twist. Next to her was a tall blond man in an ill fitting brown suit that had a badge clipped to his belt. The other man also had a badge on his belt. He was about the same height as Kurt, maybe a smidgen taller, with black hair that was graying around the temples. His suit was blue.

"Hello, Kurt?" The woman spoke. "I'm Angela McBride, I'm an attorney with the State Prosecutors office. I've been assigned to your case. These gentlemen are from the Lima PD. Detectives Williams and Madison would like to ask you a few questions about what happened that night."

Kurt felt a cold chill on his back, but nodded. He sat on the couch with his dad on one side of him, and Ms. McBride on the other side. The taller detective sat in the recliner Burt usually sat in, while the shorter man took the rocking chair near the TV.

The blond officer, Detective Williamson, spoke first. "I know you gave a partial written statement last week, but we need more information so that when we go to court, the accused doesn't get off on some technicality."

Kurt nodded, though his heart was beginning to race. "Okay."

The other detective opened his small notebook and began taking notes. "Why don't you start from the beginning. We've talked to some of the other kids at your school, and they told us that this has been an ongoing issue."

Kurt was nervous. He still hadn't told his Dad everything that had happened, but he knew he had do this. "Um, can I get some tea before I start? My throat is hurting."

The Detective nodded, and Kurt stood. "The water is already hot. I figured you'd want something to drink when you got home." Burt told him. Kurt nodded his gratitude and went into the kitchen to get his drink, as well as to let his nerves settle for a moment.

He returned a few minutes later with a tray that had a large tea pot and several cups, along with sugar, honey, lemon, and cream, as well as a plate of lemon cookies. He set it on the coffee table and fixed his cup. Burt helped himself to tea and a cookie. The others helped themselves.

Kurt took a couple of sips from his cup, then set it on the table before he started talking.

"The teasing has been going on for years, pretty much nonstop since my Mother died. It was mean, but it wasn't so bad. I mostly just ignored it. It got worse when I started high school, but only because they'd learn knew words to taunt me with. Fag, homo, things like that. Things didn't start getting physical until last year. Dumpster tosses, slushie facials. Everyone in Glee Club got picked on, though.

After a while, most of the ones taunting me lost interest. The only ones who still picked on me were Karofsky and Azimio, and a couple others. Things really started escalating near the end of the year. That's when they started deliberately bumping into me in the hallways, knocking books from my hands, things like that. They threatened to beat me up often.

That was when my friends in Glee Club realized that the worst of the bullying was focused on me. They began trying to run interference for me, and stood up to them, but they'd just wait till I was alone, and things would be worse. When school started again in September, things really got bad. That was when the shoving started. I'd get slammed into lockers three or four times a day."

Kurt paused and drank some more of his tea. He was getting to the parts he hadn't told his Father about. He glanced over at the bear of a man sitting beside him. Ever since the death of his Mom, he'd relied on his Dad for warmth and comfort. He knew his Dad would do anything to keep him safe, and he know that what he was going to say now would upset him.

"When my Dad had his heart attack, they backed off for a week or two, but then it got even worse. The names, the slushies, the shoving, all came more frequent, especially from Karofsky. One day I just got so fed up that I followed him into the locker room and confronted him. I yelled at him and asked him what his problem was. I thought he was going to beat the crap out of me. I told him he couldn't beat the gay out of me anymore than I could beat the ignoramus out of him.

Imagine my shock when he kissed me instead."

He could see the anger filling his Dad's eyes as he realized what he'd just said. He was about to say something, but Kurt interrupted.

"The next day he threatened to kill me if I told anyone. I didn't know what to do. I couldn't tell my Dad, he was still recovering from his heart attack, and he was getting married. I didn't want to worry him or put any more stress on him. I couldn't tell my friends, because they'd get themselves in trouble trying to attack Karofsky.

I decided I'd wait until Dad and Carole left for their honeymoon, and then I'd report the death threat to the police. Somehow he found out what I was going to do. He attacked me in the parking lot. He beat me up some, but then he started t-touching me."

Kurt had to stop and take a deep breath, and refilled his tea cup. "He told me that since he and I were the only gays in the school, I should just give in and be his boyfriend. In secret, of course. No one had to know that he was a fag too. When I declined his offer, he shoved me so hard, I fell and slammed my head on the hood of my car, knocking me out and giving me a mild concussion."

Burt was squirming in his seat. Kurt knew that if Karofsky wasn't already in a jail cell, his Dad would hunt him down and beat the crap out of him. Kurt reached out and took his hand, wanting to comfort the man, but also seeking comfort.

"I'm not sure how they figured it out, but some how my friends in Glee knew something had happened between him and me. They didn't know what exactly, but they started walking me to my classes, making certain I was never alone. Even Coach Sylvester found excuses to follow me around so that he couldn't get near me again. That seemed to work. Things got better. I thought he'd finally given up. Until the night we won regionals."

Kurt could feel the bile rising again. He fought it, forcing it back down. "There wasn't supposed to be anyone else in the building. It was a Saturday evening, it should have been just us.

We got back from the competition a little after six. We were so excited about winning, no one wanted to go home just yet. We had a party in the choir room. Somehow I got soda spilled on my shirt and didn't notice it right away. People eventually started heading home around eight. It was just Mercedes, Brittany, Santana and me left. San and Brit were leaving when I noticed the stain. I told Mercedes to go ahead and go home, I was just going to stop by my locker and change my shirt.

I heard footsteps behind me. I didn't think anything of it. I figured one of the Glee kids, or Mr. Shue or even Ms. Pillsbury had come back for something. I glanced back to see who it was, just because I was curious.

When I saw him, I knew he was going to do something. I started running, and tried to dial 911, but I was crying and couldn't see my screen, plus my hand was shaking so much I couldn't even hit the numbers right. Somehow my contact screen came up. I jabbed at it blindly, just needing someone to know I needed help.

I didn't know who I had called. I heard the ringing, and I think I heard someone answer, but then he grabbed my arm. My bag fell to the floor. The phone must have fallen too. He shook me hard. I told him to leave me alone, I didn't want him near me. I pulled away, and the sleeve on my shirt ripped off.

We struggled some more. He twisted my wrist painfully, and then swung me around, slamming me into the lockers so hard. I remember pain in my shoulder and head. I was dazed. The next thing I remember he...he had...he..."

Kurt was beginning to hyperventilate. He was trembling hard, fighting the nausea. Burt placed his hand on the back of his neck and pushed him forward, placing his head between his knees. "Breathe, Kurt. It's ok. You're safe."

Tears flowed down his face as he gasped for air. After a moment, he forced himself to calm down. He took a deep, shuddering breath, and sat up, wrapping his hands around his stomach. He couldn't look at any of them as he began speaking again.

"He was in my mouth. When I realized what was happening, I started to struggle again. He slapped me, and then began choking me as he continued to...do that. I couldn't breathe. I started to pass out, I think, but then he...he finished, and pulled away, and I could breathe again. I threw up.

He said something to me, I can't remember exactly what he said. Something about not telling anyone, that if I just did as he wanted he wouldn't hurt me anymore. That's all I remember."

He said, still crying, still fighting the rising bile in his throat. Burt pulled him into a hug, rubbing his back soothingly as the boy sobbed into his neck.

The detectives and Ms. McBride thanked the Hummels for their cooperation, and let themselves out a few minutes later. Once they were alone, Kurt and his Dad just sat there holding each other for several minutes in silence.

Kurt sniffled, and sat back, looking at his Father. "I'm sorry, I know I should have told someone what had been happening, but I didn't know who I could talk to. I didn't want to stress you out any more than necessary with your heart, And I didn't want New Directions to do anything that could get them in trouble. If I had just told someone, none of this would have happened!"

"Stop right there! You have nothing to apologize for! None of this was your fault! That boy is seriously confused and sick. You didn't do anything wrong. Yes, you should have told me, but I know how scared you were. You were afraid of losing me. It's understandable after losing your Mom. I love you, Kurt. I promise, I'm not going to leave you any time soon."

They held on to each other for a while longer, and eventually Kurt fell asleep. Burt gently laid him out on the couch and covered him with the blanket. He slept through dinner, not even waking when first Finn and then Carole got home.

He roused around nine, only to go up to his room and change into his pajamas and crawl into his bed. He had a text message from Blaine asking him about his day. He'd sent a quick message that he'd fallen asleep when he'd gotten home, and that he'd call during lunch the next day to talk.

…

Tuesday dawned grey, with the promise of more rain. Kurt woke up feeling stuffy, as if he had a cold. He got ready for school and headed down to breakfast, some of the reclaimed happiness from the previous day having faded after the interview with the Detectives.

He had a bowl of corn meal mush for breakfast, his stomach still not fully settled. Burt watched him with some concern, but didn't say anything.

He made it through his first two classes, his stomach still twisted in knots. He and Artie headed for English Lit. The younger boy chatted amiably, but Kurt wasn't really paying attention. Sweat had started to gather on his forehead as they approached the stretch of lockers. He kept a tight grip on the handles of the other boy's wheelchair. He closed his eyes, letting his friend lead him through again. He almost made it. Almost.

He dashed into the closest bathroom, and heaved into the trashcan in the corner.

…

When lunch time came, Kurt considered calling his Dad to come get him. He'd managed to make it back down that hall without another incident, but instead of heading to the cafeteria, he went to the library. He didn't feel like eating. He found a quiet corner far away from anyone else and dialed Blaine's number.

"Hey, babe, how you doing? I was worried when you didn't text me back yesterday afternoon."

Kurt sighed. "I had visitors when I got home. A couple of Detectives and a lawyer from the DA's office. I had to tell them what happened. Everything."

Blaine's voice was filled with emotion when he spoke. "Are you okay?"

Kurt held back a sob. "I've been better. My Dad knows everything now, too. We cried, both of us, for a long time. I was so exhausted I fell asleep on the couch, and then managed to crawl upstairs to my room to sleep some more. And then I threw up on my way to English Lit."

"I'm sorry, sweetie. Are you at lunch now?"

"I'm in the library. I don't feel like eating right now."

"Do you want to meet me at The Lima Bean after school?"

Kurt wasn't sure if he was up for going out today. "Could we just go to my place maybe?"

"Of course, what ever you want."

"Thank you, Blaine. I just need to pull myself back together again."

"I know, babe. I'll see you after school."

"Okay. Bye."

"Bye."

…

He made it through the rest of the day, even managing to sit through Glee rehearsal, since he had a little while before Blaine would come.

Once home, he sat in his room watching Cinderella, waiting for the other boy. When he arrived, they just lay beside each other, neither of them talking for the longest time. Kurt knew that there would be more days like this in the future. He knew that some days would be worse than others. He also knew there would be good days. Yesterday had proven that.

Eventually the good days would out number the bad. He just had to take them one day at a time. Or as Blaine had put it, one minute at a time.

They heard Finn get home a while later. They decided to go downstairs and get dinner started before Burt and Carole got home. Kurt wasn't sure if he'd be able to eat much, but having Blaine there always seemed to make it a little easier.

They made penne with chicken and broccoli, with a light garlic butter sauce. By the time his Dad and Carole arrived, the table was set and Blaine was putting a bowl with a tossed salad in the center of the table.

They sat down, and Kurt managed to eat most of the small portion he'd served himself. They had vanilla ice cream and blackberries for dessert. Afterwards, Kurt walked Blaine out to his car to say good night.

"Feeling better now?" Blaine asked him. Kurt sighed and nodded his head, feeling tired again, but not as exhausted as the day before.

"Thank you for coming over."

"Hey, what are boyfriends for? Besides, I like spending time with your family."

"They like you too."

Blaine smiled, and kissed him. "Coffee tomorrow after school?"

"I think I'll be up for that." He looked down at their joined hands. "Blaine?"

"Hmm?"

"I love you."

The curly haired boy smiled so wide his jaw hurt. "I love you too, Kurt."

They kissed again, hearts racing. Finally the shorter boy pulled away, brushing his thumb over the paler boy's cheek. "Good night, Kurt."

"Night, Blaine."


	8. Wednesday

Wednesday morning, the sun was up, but a light haze gave everything a blurred quality. Kurt managed to eat a decent breakfast of fruit, yogurt, granola, and orange juice.

He drove himself to school that morning, since he was meeting Blaine later for coffee. He felt better this morning than he had the previous day. He knew the first test of the day would be when third period rolled around. He walked beside Artie as usual, and managed to make it to English Lit without having to use the other boy's chair as a crutch. He felt a little thrill of victory.

His feeling of triumph was short lived however. He went to the cafeteria for lunch for the first time since coming back to McKinley. He took his tray and sat with Mercedes, Tina, Quinn, Artie and Mike. The other members of New Directions soon joined them. They laughed and joked, and he was starting to relax and enjoy himself when the voice cut in.

"Yo, Hummel, how was it? Bet you liked it, didn't you?"

Kurt froze, his eyes wide with fear. Mercedes gripped his hand under the table.

"Back off, Azimio!" Mike hissed. The other Glee members were standing at his back, forming a wall between him and the football player.

"What, the little homo got some action and now wants to play the victim card? He probably enjoyed it."

The cafeteria was suddenly deathly quiet. And then something happened that shocked just about every member of New Directions, especially Kurt. A boy he passed in the hallways on a regular basis, whom he'd never learned the name of, who had witnessed the shoving and bullying but had never said a word, stood up and joined the Glee kids in glaring down the jock. "That was so uncalled for."

Another kid stood and joined them. "You're disgusting."

And another. "That was pathetic."

Soon every student in the cafeteria stood between Kurt and his tormentor. The Glee Club pulled Kurt to his feet and lead him out into the hall. Someone had gone and reported what was happening to Mr. Schuester. He and Coach Sylvester came running down the hall.

Mr. Schue stopped to make certain Kurt was ok. He was sitting against the wall with his head between his knees, trying to breathe as tears slid down his cheeks.

As Sue entered the cafeteria and saw the wall of students surrounding the large bully, she took a moment to smile to herself in satisfaction. It was about time the students in this school stood up for what was right.

"All right, break it up! You, big mouth, I should probably let the angry villagers tear you limb from limb! Move your butt to the principals office, NOW!"

She marched the offensive student out and down the hall, past the angry glares of all eleven members of New Directions, Who once again had formed a wall around Kurt and Mr. Schue.

The pale boy shuddered, wiping the tears from his eyes. His stomach turned, but he managed not to throw up. "Do you want me to call your Dad to come get you, Kurt?" Mr. Schue asked, his hand on the thin boy's shoulder.

He shook his head no. "I'm okay. I just want to lay down for a little while."

Will nodded and lead him to the nurses office. "You should at least let your Dad know what happened. Let him know you're ok. Figgins will probably call him anyway, so you might want to give him a heads up."

Kurt nodded, then lay down on the bed, facing away from the teacher, closing his eyes. He heard the click of the light turning off, and then another click as the door was closed. He waited until his breathing had calmed and the tears had stopped before dialing the number for the garage.

"Hummel Tire and Lube, this is Burt, How can I help you?"

"Dad?"

"Kurt, what's wrong? Do you need me to come get you?"

"No, no. I'm okay. The principal is probably going to call you though. I'll let him tell you what happened. I just wanted to let you know I'm okay. And Dad?"

"What kiddo?"

"They stood up for me. All of them. Everyone in the cafeteria. They didn't pretend not to see it this time."

There was silence on the line for a moment, and then his Father cleared his throat. "That's good, Kurt. I'm happy to hear that. Are you sure you don't want to come home for the rest of the day?"

"I'm sure. I'm laying down in the nurses office. Gonna take a little nap before my next class."

"Okay, son. I love you."

"I love you too, Dad."

…

Blaine was in a hurry. He'd forgotten he had promised to speak to Mr. Logan, his Social studies teacher, about the community project he was required to do a report on.. He had to discuss which project he planned to write about. And then he'd forgot his car keys and had to go back to his dorm and get them.

He pulled into the parking lot at the Lima Bean fifteen minutes late. When he arrived, he found Kurt at their usual table, but he wasn't alone. The fiery Latina was sitting with him. She looked up as he approached.

"Preppy! Good to see you again. I was just telling Porcelain about the aftermath of the little incident at the school today."

"What happened?" He asked, taking the seat across from them and noting the dark rings under Kurt's eyes.

Santana looked Kurt over. "Do you want me to tell him for you?"

Kurt shook his head no, and smiled at her. "Thanks, Tana. I'll be okay. And thanks for telling me what Figgins said, too."

"No problem, Lady Lips. I've gotta go. Brittany wants to try making fondue tonight. I need to be there to make sure she doesn't dip her cat in it."

Kurt laughed, albeit weakly. "I'll see you tomorrow."

She gave him a quick peck on the cheek as she stood. "Take care of him, Preppy!"

"I will." Blaine smiled at her and watched her walk away. "So, what happened today?"

"I was eating in the cafeteria with the others, when Azimio made some disgusting remarks."

Blaine took his hand and brought it to his mouth, kissing the knuckle gently. "Would you care to tell me what he said?"

Kurt took a deep breath, making himself look the other boy in the eyes as he spoke. "He asked me if I enjoyed what Karofsky did to me. He figured I should have been grateful to, I quote, ' get some action.'"

Blaine made a scoffing sound, unable to believe someone would think something like that, let alone say it out loud. "What did you do?"

"I was too stunned to do anything. But then something else happened. Something I never thought would happen. Every person in the cafeteria stood up to him. They told him how disgusting and pathetic he was. Not just the New Directions, Blaine. Everyone!"

Blaine smiled. "That's great, Kurt! So what happened to this Azimio kid? Did he get punished?"

"Yeah, that was what Santana was telling me about. Apparently after what happened to me, the district has set new guide lines for handling bullies. There were enough witnesses to what he said, so they are suspending him until the next school board meeting, at which time they will decide whether he should be removed from the school permanently. They've decided to enact a zero tolerance policy like the one at Dalton." Kurt sighed. "Of course it remains to be seen if they will enforce it."

Blaine hoped they would. He hated the fact that it took a heinous act of violence for the district to wake up and do something about it, though. He squeezed Kurt's hand. "You look tired again. Let me get our coffees, and then maybe you could go over my French homework real quick before you head home? I don't want you to get exhausted."

Kurt nodded. "Thanks"

Blaine went to get the drinks, taking a few minutes to study his boyfriend surreptitiously. He could see that the ups and downs of these first few days back at school were wearing on him. He wished he could be there for the beautiful angel every minute of every day. He almost regretted convincing the other boy to stay at McKinley. He wanted him at Dalton where he could watch over him, and where he knew the students and staff would treat him as the wonderful, special, unique person he was.

As he carried the drinks back to the table, he briefly thought the other boy had fallen asleep. His eyes were closed and his head rested on the back of his chair, but those amazing eyes opened and he smiled sleepily up at him as he approached. Blaine had to resist the urge to beg the fairer boy to transfer, for his peace of mind, if not for Kurt's.

"So, French homework?" Kurt asked after taking a long drink of his grande non fat mocha. Blaine nodded and pulled the pages from his bag.

"I'm pretty sure I got it all correct, but I'm no where near as fluent as you are."

Half an hour later, with only one minor conjugation error found, Blaine walked Kurt to his car. "You're appointment with the specialist is Friday, right?"

"Yeah. Have to get up early to drive all the way to Cleveland. Mercedes is going to go with us."

"Would you mind if I was waiting for you when you got back?"

Kurt smiled. "I think I could live with that."

"Good." He kissed the taller boy, and watched as he drove away.

…

The phone was ringing when Kurt got home. "Hello, Hummel-Hudson residence?"

"Hello, Kurt? It's Angela McBride. I just wanted to let you know that the preliminary hearing for the trial has been set for two weeks from tomorrow. It's not required that you be there, but if you want to attend, with your Dad, it will be at nine in the morning."

"What is the preliminary hearing?"

"It means the judge will hear about the evidence in the case. He'll read your statement of the events, and then the defense will make a statement and enter their plea. If they plead guilty, then the judge will set a date to determine what, if any, punishment to enforce. If they plead not guilty, then the judge will set a trial date, at which time we'll present our case to a jury."

Kurt swallowed. "Will I have to testify if they plead not guilty?"

"It would definitely help our case if you did, but it is up to you." She sounded very sincere, and sympathetic.

"I'll tell my Dad when he gets home. Thank you for letting me know."

"You're welcome. And Kurt? I know you are strong enough to face this if it goes to trial."

He took a deep breath. "Thank you. Good night."

"Good night, Kurt."

…

The first thing Burt did when he got home was hug his son. After his conversation with Figgins, he'd been tempted to drive down to the school and drag his boy home whether he want to go or not. But the fact that the students at the school were finally standing up to the bullies and that Kurt needed to make his own decisions kept him from acting on his urge.

As they sat down to dinner, Kurt told them about the call from the prosecutor. "Do you want to attend the hearing?"

Kurt considered it. "Yeah. I do. I want to know what is going to happen."

Burt nodded and put his hand on his boy's shoulder. "Okay."

Kurt was yawning before dinner was finished, and excused himself to go up to his room.

He called Blaine as he lay on his bed in his pajamas. They talked about the hearing, and Blaine said he'd come too. Kurt yawned again.

"You're really tired, aren't you, babe?" Blaine asked.

"Mm hmm."

"You want me to sing you to sleep?"

Kurt sighed and smiled sleepily. "Please."

Nothing's gonna harm you  
Not while I'm around  
Nothing's gonna harm you  
No sir, not while I'm around

Demons are prowling everywhere  
Nowadays  
I'll send 'em howling  
I don't care, I got ways...


	9. Setbacks

Thursday passed in a blur. The morning dawned clear and bright. School was remarkably drama free, unless you counted the usual relationship woes of one Finn Hudson, which always involved some kind of drama. Kurt and the Glee club ate lunch in the choir room that day, even though the atmosphere in the hallways carried a much warmer vibe than it had in the past. There was no need to borrow trouble.

Kurt made it through an entire day without feeling nauseous or falling asleep before his normal bedtime.

Friday morning, his alarm clock woke him up two hours earlier than usual. It was as he was eating his breakfast that he noticed the discomfort in his throat. He was having difficulty swallowing again. He drank some tea to try to sooth the pain, but even that didn't help. When he tried to speak, barely any sound came out. He tried to convince himself that he was just worried about what the doctor was going to say, but he was panicking inside. What if he lost his voice for good? What if he could never talk, let alone sing, again?

At ten o'clock, he, his Dad, and Mercedes were shown into an exam room. Kurt sat in a chair similar to one you'd find in a dentist's office. An assistant first asked a bunch of questions, most of which Burt had to answer for him.

Then the woman began feeling Kurt's throat, applying pressure at certain spots. He winced a couple of time. She then had Kurt open his mouth as wide as he could as she shined a light down his esophagus. After writing down several notes in his file, she left, saying the doctor would be in shortly.

About twenty minutes later, a short, round, balding man entered, wearing a white lab coat. He introduced himself as Dr. Remis. He began the examination by doing the exact same things the assistant had; feeling Kurt's throat and looking down inside with a light. He than took out what looked like a long thin tube with several wires coming out of one end.

He explained to those present that it was a miniature camera. He told them he was going to use it to examine Kurt's throat more closely. "You'll need to remain as still as possible, Kurt, understand?"

Kurt nodded. He held his mouth open, doing his best not to move. Mercedes held one hand, his Dad the other. Kurt couldn't see what was on the laptop screen the camera was projecting to, but Mercedes could.

"Are those his tonsils?" She asked quietly, not wanting to distract the doctor, but was rather curious.

The older man smiled kindly at her. "Yes. And just below that is the larynx." He paused the progression of the camera to take a picture of the area. After several minutes, and several more photographs of the inside of Kurt's throat, the camera was removed.

"So, Kurt, you are a singer?" He smiled at the boy as he nodded shyly. "Tenor?"

"Countertenor, actually," Mercedes replied for him, filled with pride for her friend.

"Remarkable, that is very rare. Well, I have good news and bad news, and a little more bad news. The good news is, the damage is not permanent. There is a couple of minor tears that will heal on their own. The bad news is, you aren't going to be able to sing until they are fully healed. At least another six to eight weeks."

"Six weeks? But Nationals are in four weeks!" Mercedes voiced what Kurt was thinking.

"What's the other bad news?" Burt asked.

"Kurt has an infection in his throat. Most likely strep. I'll have a nurse take a swab to confirm this, and I'll give you a prescription for antibiotics. I would like to see you back here in six weeks to check on the progress he is making."

On the drive home, Kurt and Mercedes rode in the back, with the dark skinned diva trying to make Kurt feel better.

"I know you're bummed about missing Nationals, but from the sound of it, you'll be good as new for Sectionals next year. And Nationals will be in Chicago, then."

Kurt smiled at his best friend, and hugged her. They arrived back in Lima about the time Glee was getting out. He asked his Dad if he could invite everyone over to let them know what the doctor said. He agreed, and Mercedes sent out a text to the New Directions.

Blaine was waiting when they got home. Kurt smiled a little sadly and hugged his boyfriend.

"What did they say?" He asked. Kurt just shrugged and croaked out that he'd tell everyone at the same time.

Forty five minutes later, all of New Directions and Blaine were sitting around the Hummel-Hudson living room, with Kurt and Mercedes standing before them.

Mercedes held his hand as she talked. "Kurt asked me to tell you all what is happening, because his throat hurts too much to talk. It's a good news bad news situation. The good news is, the damage is minor and will heal on it's own. Once it heals, Kurt should be able to sing again just fine."

All of his friends cheered and hugged him. Blaine held him as Mercedes continued. "Now comes the bad news, and it's a little bit of a double whammy. First, the doctor says that it will take six to eight weeks before he'll even be able to attempt to sing. Which means, Kurt won't be able to sing by Nationals." The group all began talking at once.

"What?" Finn asked, shocked.

"But that's not fair!" Tina cried. "He's what got us to Nationals in the first place!"

"This means we'll be short one member! Who is going to be our twelfth? That Cheerio we got to replace him for Sectionals broke her ankle last week!" This of course came from Rachel.

"What was the other part of the bad news?" Quinn asked.

Kurt cleared his throat to get their attention and managed to answer for himself. "I have an infection. They think it's strep. I have to take antibiotics."

Quinn and Tina hugged him again, this time in sympathy.

They ordered Pizzas, the usual Friday night dinner forgone for the moment. After they ate, Tina sat beside Kurt. "It really is unfair, I know how much you wanted to go to New York, and you really are the reason we won. We all know it."

Kurt hugged her, and smiled. "I'll get to go someday."

"Maybe you can still go with us." Mike sat up straighter. "I mean, everyone knows I don't really sing out there on the stage. My job is to dance and make you guys look good. We just need twelve warm bodies, right?"

The conversations stopped as everyone considered it. Kurt looked to Blaine, a glint of hope sparked in his eyes.

"We can check the rule book to be sure," Blaine began, a slow smile making its way to his lips, "But I'm pretty sure there isn't anything that says all twelve members have to sing, just be on stage."

…

After everyone else had left, Kurt and Blaine sat on the couch, cuddling. Blaine smiled softly. "Hey, before I forget, there was something I wanted to ask you."

Kurt crooked an eyebrow at him in question.

"You remember Nick and Jeff? Well, they'll be here in Lima tomorrow. It's Nick's Aunt's Birthday, so they'll be there in the afternoon for the party, and then they are spending the night with her. Jeff wanted to know if you and I wanted to go on a double date with them later in the evening. Nothing big, just burgers and a movie?"

Kurt looked skeptical, not because he didn't think he'd get along with Blaine's friends, but rather because of his throat. He voiced his concern to the dark haired boy.

"Well, do you think your Dad would mind if they came here for dinner and a video, then? They really want to get to know you. All my friends do, and eventually we'll hang out with all of them, but I figured I'd ease you into the insanity that is the Warblers."

Kurt smiled, and nodded. After checking with his Dad, Blaine sent Jeff a text message with the alternate plans, plus a little warning for the blond boy to be on his best behavior.

…

Blaine came over early the next day to help Kurt and Carole prepare dinner. They made a chilled gazpacho soup, with fresh baked bread and salad. There was a chocolate mousse for dessert.

By the time the two other boys arrived, Burt had gotten home from the garage cleaned up, and Finn had been coaxed from his room and into clean clothes. Blaine introduced the two new comers to everyone.

Nick smiled politely. "Thank you for letting us invade your home for the evening. We've been wanting to get to know Kurt better ever since Blaine told us about him."

"Yes," Jeff added. "We really only got to meet him briefly at the competition before he stole the show and knocked us out of any chance of going to Nationals this year."

Kurt and Finn laughed at this, and they all sat down to dinner.

"So are you two a couple?" Finn asked.

Jeff laughed. "Yeah, we've been together for almost five years now."

"Were you bullied at your old school like Blaine?" Burt asked. He'd learned of the other boy's torment while the two of them had talked before Kurt had been released from the hospital.

Nick shook his head no. "We were lucky. We went to a school that had a zero tolerance policy like Dalton's. We got taunted a little in jr. high, but that was the extent of it. Nothing near as bad as Blaine or Kurt went through."

Burt nodded. "And what about your folks? Are they okay with everything?"

"My parents were really supportive," Jeff answered. "They figured it was just a part of what makes me me, and said they wouldn't change it if they could. Nick wasn't quite so lucky."

The darker boy looked down at his soup "My parents didn't take the news well. They basically passed me off on different relatives as often as they could so they didn't have to deal with it. My Aunt Jean is great, though. She's my Mom's younger sister. When I'm not at Dalton, I usually stay with her, or my Cousin Jack, who lives in California."

Carole reached over and patted the boy on the shoulder. "Well, you are both welcome to visit us any time you like."

Both boys smiled gratefully. They continued to eat dinner, and the conversation moved on to sports. Nick and Blaine both liked football, while Jeff was a baseball fan. He was good naturedly booed by Finn when he admitted he was a Cubs fan.

By the time dessert was served, they had moved on to the subject of Glee clubs. Finn was the one who mentioned the possibility of Kurt still going to Nationals, even if he couldn't sing. Both Nick and Jeff wished him luck, hoping that the fair skinned boy would get the chance to see New York.

After dinner, Burt and Carole went upstairs while the five boys settled in the living room to watch a video. After a short debate, they agreed on a comedy that had done well in the theaters that Finn and Nick hadn't seen yet. The ones who had already seen it made fun of the characters, and cracked everyone up more than the movie itself, especially when Jeff did a flawless impression of the female lead making a fool of herself in the middle of a wedding reception.

Once the video was over, they continued talking, laughing, and even had a short impromptu singing competition between Nick and Finn after they'd learned that Nick had auditioned for the Warblers with Can't Fight This Feeling, the same song Mr. Schue had over heard Finn singing in the showers. The competition had had the other boys laughing so hard because it turned into the two competing to see who could make the most outlandish faces while belting out the song.

When it was time for the three Dalton boys to leave, both Finn and Kurt walked them out. Finn shook hands with Nick and Jeff, then went in to get ready for bed.

"This has been fun. We should do this again sometime," Jeff commented.

"Yeah, maybe go on a real double date at some point, too,: Nick added.

Kurt nodded his agreement. He hugged the other two boys, and then turned to Blaine. They hugged and kissed. Blaine said he'd text Kurt the next day, and they agreed to meet for coffee on Monday after school.

…

Monday seemed to go by in a rush for Kurt. He'd made it though to lunch with out any problems. He sat in the courtyard with Artie, Tina, Mike, and Sam. He had a French quiz that afternoon, and another in Calculus, and then it was time for Glee club. Everyone was eager to hear what Mr. Schuester would say about letting Kurt go to Nationals with them, even if he couldn't sing.

"There's nothing in the rule book against it. But you'll have to work twice as hard on your dancing. "

The room broke out in cheers.

…

The next week and a half seemed to pass in a blink of the eye. The good news is, the strep throat cleared up, and he was once again able to speak in a more normal voice, and his ability to swallow was getting better, he no longer had to dice his food up into small bites.

Before Kurt realized it, the morning of the hearing had arrived. Kurt wore a dark blue suit, with his clockwork bow tie brooch, his hair perfectly coiffed. Blaine met them at the courthouse, also wearing a suit, although his was black, and for once he wasn't wearing a tie of any type.

Kurt was very nervous. This would be the first time he had seen Karofsky since that night. They waited outside the courtroom. Nine o'clock came and went, and no one had come out to get them. Burt was pacing the floor. Nine thirty passed. Nine forty five.

Suddenly Angela McBride came out of the courtroom, looking a little upset. "Mr. Hummel, I'm so sorry to keep you waiting, but there's been a development in the case. The defense has requested a psych evaluation on the accused."

"What does that mean?" Burt demanded.

"It means they are going to play the mental health card," she replied bitterly. "They only sprung the news on me this morning. Apparently they've been trying to convince the defendant to see a mental health professional and have him declared mentally unstable, as they believe that is the only way they can avoid their client being found guilty. He only agreed to go for it last night."

Kurt was shaking. "You mean they are going to try and get him off by saying he wasn't in control of his mental state at the time?"

"First they'll try and have him declared unfit to stand trial. If that fails, then, sadly yes, they will try to claim temporary insanity or something of the ilk."

"So what happens now?" Blaine asked.

"The judge has to allow the request for the evaluation, or the defense can claim that their client wasn't treated fairly. So the defense will find a psychiatrist that will agree with their claim that Mr. Karofsky is unfit do to unstable mental health, and we'll counter it with experts of our own. Depending which side is more believable, the judge will rule on whether to proceed to trial."

"And what happens if they say he's crazy as loon?" Burt growled.

"Then he'll be remanded to a mental facility until such time as he is deemed competant to return to civilization,"

"In other words," Kurt said, "He'll walk away without paying for his crime."


	10. New York

The New Directions were working so hard that last couple of weeks before Nationals, Kurt barely had any spare time. Between all of his homework (he was still trying to catch up on all the work he missed when he was in the hospital), working on his dancing, and helping his Dad out at the garage a couple of nights when they were short handed, he hadn't seen Blaine since they kissed good bye outside the courthouse two weeks ago. They'd talked on the phone every night, and texted between classes. But he was starting to miss his boyfriend's arms hugging him.

They were scheduled to fly out to New York on Friday morning. It was Thursday night now, and Kurt was bouncing in the kitchen as he fussed over dinner. Blaine was coming over to wish him luck and say good bye until they returned Monday afternoon. When the door bell rang, Kurt almost knocked his Dad over to answer it.

And there he was, as handsome as ever, wearing khakis, a black polo, and a Burberry tie. Kurt all but leapt into his arms, hugging him so tight.

"I missed you so much!"

The curly haired boy laughed, and held him just as tight. "I missed you too! And now you're going away for an entire weekend without me!"

The two finally separated after a pointed cough from Burt. "Nice to see you again, kid. How you been doing?"

Blaine laughed and shook Burt's hand. "I've been good. It's finals week at Dalton, so I've been just as busy as Kurt, studying."

They went inside, and Kurt dragged Blaine into the kitchen, where he quickly took advantage of being alone with his boyfriend by kissing him soundly on the lips. The shorter boy chuckled softly and returned the kiss. "I missed you so much."

After a few more sweet kisses, they parted, and Blaine helped Kurt finish dinner. The pasta with seafood was pretty much done. They just had to get the breadsticks in the oven and make the salad. Kurt had prepared a strawberry-lemon ice for dessert.

As they all sat down to dinner, talk invariably turned to New York and Nationals. Blaine already new what songs they'd be performing, he and Kurt had talked about it over the phone many times. The darker boy also knew how disappointed his boyfriend was that he wasn't able to really sing for the competition. There had been some discussion prior to Regionals of Kurt having a solo at Nationals as well if they won. Blaine had learned from Finn that Mr. Schue had already picked out a possible song for Kurt, although he didn't know what it had been.

After dinner the three boys sat in the living room, talking about school, and Finn's continuing relationship woes. All too soon it was time for Blaine to say good night, as Finn and Kurt needed to get to bed early to be ready to catch their flight the next morning.

Finn had patted him on the back before heading upstairs to his room. Kurt walked him to the door. They kissed again.

"I'll miss you every minute you're gone."

"I wish you could come with us."

"Me too. Maybe..."

"Maybe what?"

"Nothing, we'll talk about it later. One more kiss for luck!"

Blaine placed a tender kiss to Kurt's cheek, then slipped out the door.

…

Kurt was on an adrenaline buzz. He'd just flown for the very first time in his life, and now he was in the city of his dreams. They had checked into their hotel (an actual four star establishment, some anonymous donor had paid for), and had been given permission to spend the afternoon sight seeing, as long as they stayed in groups.

Kurt, Finn, Rachel, and Artie were checking out the theater district, with Kurt and Rachel gushing over all the billboards showing all the shows they both loved. They took dozens of pictures in front of famous theaters, and squealed in ecstasy when they bumped into the current Elphaba from wicked.

She had smiled and been very kind to pose for pictures, and was surprised when Rachel told her that she and Kurt had done a diva off to Defying Gravity. There was a brief awkward moment when the sweet lady had asked Kurt to sing for her.

Kurt explained that he was recovering from an injury to his throat, without going in to detail. The lady had kissed his cheek, and given him her email address, with orders to send her a video of him singing when he was recovered. She'd then hugged each of them and blew kisses as she took her leave.

Kurt was slightly more somber after that, but a trip to Tiffany's quickly brightened his mood.

Later that evening, all of New Directions met for dinner at one of the restaurants at the hotel, all giggling and sharing their experiences. They all went to bed that night full of excitement and nerves for the coming competition.

...

Saturday morning, Kurt woke with a mild fever. He tried to hide it, but as the morning progressed his lack of balance became more noticeable. Mr. Schue had found a doctor among the audience, who were already filling the auditorium. After a discreet conversation in regards to Kurt's recent issues, the doctor had examined the pale boy. All the Glee kids waited anxiously in the hallway. When the doctor came out, he reassured them.

"He's fine. Just a minor flu. I've given him something for the fever and pain. It will kick in before the first choir takes the stage. Just make sure he rests as long as possible before going on stage, and as soon as he's done, have him get straight back to bed."

They all sighed in relief. The kind older man had then wished them luck, and confessed that he was actually from Ohio himself, originally.

They kept Kurt in bed until it was time to head backstage. And that was when they ran into the last person any of them had wanted to run into, Jesse St. James. Rachel of course was the first to spot him. Kurt noticed her stiffen, saw the crushed look on her face. He glanced over to the arrogant former lead of Vocal Adrenaline, and soon each member of New Directions was scowling at him. As if he felt their collective focus on him, he turned in their direction.

"Well well, look, it's No Directions. Rachel, looking as frigid as always. Probably why Frankenteen there looks so frustrated."

Kurt snorted. "Such big words, I'm impressed, considering how much VA payed some Asian genius to do all your homework for you."

"My god, is that Hummel? What happened to your voice? Sounds like you swallowed a seal."

Puck got up in the bastards face before the jackass could notice the shudder that passed through Kurt. "Back off, Jerk face, or I'll put my fist down your throat and see how well you sing after."

Before St. James could respond, Mercedes and the girls led Kurt away. The boys remained behind to make certain the prick knew to stay away both Kurt and Rachel. Once in the dressing room, they all huddles around the two, making certain that each of them were okay. Rachel said she was fine, that his taunt just wanted to make her win even more. Kurt just sat with his eyes closed and blocked everything out, trying to go over his dance moves in his mind.

…

When they were announced, they took their places on stage. They'd decided that Kurt would sit out the first song, along with Artie, Tina and Quinn. The others did a good version of the Beatles' Drive My Car. They all took the stage for their original song Light Up the World. It was going well, but near the end, Kurt stumbled as a wave of dizziness hit him. He recovered, but he knew he'd probably just blown their chance to win.

Their final song was a duet between Finn and Rachel. Everyone had been shocked when Finn of all people had said he'd written a song for competition. Pretending was surprisingly good, and they'd all been happy when Mr. Schue had added it to the set list at the last minute. The audience was loving it, and it might have been enough to overcome Kurt's misstep in the previous number, if Finn hadn't gone and started kissing Rachel on stage.

…

They ended up finishing in twelfth place. They were all upset about it, and there had been some unpleasantness between Santana and the happy couple that evening back in the hotel. Kurt just smiled. Despite not being in the top ten, and despite the incident earlier with that jerk St. James, Kurt was actually happy watching his friends arguing and shouting at each other.

This was the New Directions he was used to. The fighting, the back stabbing, the dating drama. He loved it, because he knew that no matter what was going on IN the club, no one OUTSIDE the club was allowed to bother them. They were all there for each other. Santana noticed the happy smile on his face and seemed to read his mind.

"One big dysfunctional family, huh?" She smiled. The others looked at her, and then at the smile on Kurt's face, and they understood. The arguing ceased, and for a moment they just looked at each other, and then burst out laughing. They hugged each other, then went to their respective rooms.

…

They had one more day in New York. Kurt had a surprise waiting for him when he woke up Sunday. Four tickets to that days matinee performance of Wicked were delivered by a bell hop, with a note that read: Always Defy Gravity, love Elphaba.


	11. Summer Vacation

On the last day of school, Blaine sat in his empty dorm room, looking around at what had been his home away from home for so long. He used to hate summer vacation, because it meant going back to that stuffy old house, where more often than not he was alone, his parents always off somewhere, either on business, or on vacation. Without him.

This year was different. This year he had Kurt. He smiled as he thought about his boyfriend, and that is how Wes and David found him a few minutes later. Sitting on his bed with a dreamy look on his face.

"So, you've made up your mind?" Wes asked, smiling.

"Yeah, I have. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. We'll still see you this summer. You guys are coming to my pool party next weekend, and the fair is in three weeks. I'm really looking forward to getting to know Kurt better."

"Besides," David added, "We knew as soon as you told us about him this would happen."

Blaine smiled at two of his closest friends. "Just don't say anything to him, okay? I want it to be a surprise."

They laughed and hugged the younger boy. David grabbed one of his suitcases. "Come on, let's get your stuff loaded up."

…

The last day of school at McKinley seemed surreal to Kurt. People who had never spoken to him before were suddenly smiling at him and wishing him a good summer. Two senior boys actually stopped and thanked him for giving them the courage to come out as he cleaned out his locker.

He made his way to the last Glee Club meeting of the year. As he entered, he had to laugh. The group had split into two sides, with all the girls on one side, and all the boys on the other, and they were singing Summer Lovin'. Kurt danced over to the girls' side, and was just in time to steal the line, 'cause he sounds like a drag,' from Santana.

After the song ended, they all hugged and laughed.

"So, your next appointment with the throat doctor is on Tuesday, right?" Santana asked.

"Yeah, in Cleveland. I'm a little nervous about what he's going to say." Kurt's speaking voice was now completely back to normal, or as normal as it had ever been, but not being able to sing had really made him anxious. "My dad isn't going with me this time, so I'm driving myself."

"Need some moral support?" Santana asked. Coming from her it sounded almost indecent. He laughed.

"I wouldn't say no to some company for the drive."

"Can I come too, Dolphin?" Brittany asked. "I can hold your hand. I love holding your hands, they're so soft."

Kurt hugged her. "Of course you can come, Boo."

The final bell of the year sounded. As they gathered up their bags and books and whatnot, Kurt called out. "Dinner at my Place on Tuesday after the appointment, and don't forget the Warblers invited us to their party next weekend!"

…

The drive to Cleveland on Tuesday was interesting. Santana and Brittany kept up a conversation that made very little sense to Kurt, as it seemed to be in a language that only the two of them understood. Whenever a good song came on the radio, they'd crank it up and sing at the top of their lungs, then go right back to their conversation when it was over.

As they sat in the waiting room, Kurt almost choked when Brittany saw a poster for CPR certification and burst into tears because she didn't know you had to be certified to French kiss and that she was going to be in trouble if the law found out she'd been doing it without a license.

Once they were called back into the exam room, Kurt took a seat in the dentists like chair, and the assistant once more went through a bunch of questions, then probed his throat before shining a light down it.

Dr. Remis came in, smiling at them. "Wow, you are a bit of a lady's man, aren't you? How have you been?"

Kurt told him about the fever he'd had at Nationals, and what the other doctor had diagnosed. The balding man nodded his head, and then began his exam. When he got out the miniature camera, Brittany got scared.

"Oh my god, Tana, what's he going to do with that snake? Is he going to make Kurt eat it? Is it alive?"

Kurt and the doctor laughed, and Santana moved the other girl into a corner to explain what was happening.

Kurt lay back and closed his eyes, opening his mouth wide and trying to hold very still as the camera was inserted. After several tense moment and a few clicks as pictures were taken, the camera was withdrawn.

"So, a counter tenor, eh? Would you mind singing something for me?" The balding doctor asked. "No time like the present to see if those pipes of yours still work."

Kurt looked at him in surprise. "What would you like to hear?"

"I don't know, what's your favorite song?"

Kurt smiled and sat up, fishing his iPod from his pocket.

Something has changed within me  
Something is not the same  
I'm through with playing by the rules  
Of someone else's game  
Too late for second-guessing  
Too late to go back to sleep  
It's time to trust my instincts  
Close my eyes and leap!

It's time to try  
Defying gravity  
I think I'll try  
Defying gravity  
And you can't pull me down!

I'm through accepting limits  
'cause someone says they're so  
Some things I cannot change  
But till I try, I'll never know!  
Too long I've been afraid of  
Losing love I guess I've lost  
Well, if that's love  
It comes at much too high a cost!  
I'd sooner buy  
Defying gravity  
Kiss me goodbye  
I'm defying gravity  
And you can't pull me down

There were cheers when Kurt hit the high F. Several of the nurses had peeked in when they heard the singing begin. They all clapped, and Kurt grinned, bowing. Santana and Brittany rushed to hug him.

…

That evening, Blaine and all of New Directions once more sat in the Hummel-Hudson living room, waiting to hear the news.

Kurt stood in front of them all, letting the suspense build for a long moment, before breaking into a huge grin. "Kurt Hummel is back, Bitches!"

There were whoops and laughter and shouts of happiness. Blaine kissed him, holding him tight. Brittany told them all about the doctor trying to make Kurt eat the plastic snake, and that she had broken the law by not getting certified to French kiss, which had everyone laughing uproariously.

…

Wes' pool party was in full swing Saturday afternoon. All of the Warblers and New Directions were there. Blaine loved watching Kurt interact with his friends as they got to know each other. Jeff and Nick especially went out of their way to include him in every conversation.

As the sun began to set, it was inevitable that a singing competition would break out between the two Glee clubs. They decided to have one on one sing offs, with all the Warbler's putting their names in a hat, and the New Directions each pulling a name to sing against. Songs were chosen by hitting Random on the Karaoke machine.

Rachel and Wes went first, singing Endless Love. It was mutually agreed that Rachel had just edged Wes out to win round one.

Next up was Mercedes and Jeff. They ended up singing American Pie. Jeff took the win on that one.

Santana and Nick did Jumpin' Jack Flash, and ended in a virtual tie.

Much to David's chagrin, he got paired against Brittany doing Toxic. It was no contest, with Brittany blowing him away.

Mike and Thad went head to head on Ice Ice, Baby. Thad won on the vocals, but they gave Mike points for his dance moves.

Tina and Trent got a slow song, Last Tear Drop Falls. Tina had been winning, but when Trent broke out into the Spanish verse, she bowed out.

Artie and the blond beat boxer faced off to Can't Touch This. Artie dropped the mic on the much larger boy, and wheeled himself off to the sounds of cheering from both groups.

Sam and a boy named James both blushed their way through Madonna's Like a Virgin, as the others laughed outrageously.

Finn and Luke also got some laughs with That's Amore.

Puck and a dark haired Warbler both did an amazing job on Bless the Broken Road.

Quinn faced off with another blond Warbler singing Hit me with your best shot.

Finally it was time for the last match up. Kurt and Blaine stood together as the music began, smiling. Kurt took the first verse.

Oh, I could hide 'neath the wings  
Of the bluebird as she sings.  
The six o'clock alarm would never ring.  
But it rings and I rise,  
Wipe the sleep out of my eyes.  
My shavin' razor's cold and it stings.

They both sang the chorus.

Cheer up, Sleepy Jean.  
Oh, what can it mean.  
To a daydream believer  
And a homecoming queen.

Blaine smiled adoringly and sang the second verse to his boyfriend.

You once thought of me  
As a white knight on a steed.  
Now you know how happy I can be.  
Oh, and our good times start and end  
Without dollar one to spend.  
But how much, baby, do we really need.

Everyone was laughing and smiling, and they all sang the final chorus.

Cheer up, Sleepy Jean.  
Oh, what can it mean.  
To a daydream believer  
And a homecoming queen.  
Cheer up, Sleepy Jean.  
Oh, what can it mean.  
To a daydream believer  
And a homecoming queen.

Cheer up, Sleepy Jean.  
Oh, what can it mean.  
To a daydream believer  
And a homecoming queen.

…

"Race you to the Ferris Wheel!" Jeff shouted, laughing as he grabbed Nick's hand and took off. Blaine and Kurt just laughed and watched them go. They were finally having their proper double date, (or triple date, actually, since Santana and Brittany were with them,) and had decided to go to the fair together.

"Oh, Tana, look! Will you win me a stuffed animal?" The blond girl was bouncing like a child, her eyes pleading with the Latina. The darker girl rolled her eyes but smiled good naturedly, never able to say no to the other girl.

Kurt smiled at his friends, and Blaine chuckled. "So, what do you want to do first, Mr. Hummel? Play some games, do some rides, check out the exhibits, or visit the animals?"

"Hmm, how about we split a caramel apple as we check out the games?"

Blaine smiled and took his hand. "Sounds like a plan."

Half an hour later, the three couples met back up near the bumper cars. Santana had won Brit a huge teddy bear. While Blaine had scored a pair of matching bull dogs for himself and Kurt. Nick and Jeff were both hyped up on sugar, having each had a cone of cotton candy, a caramel apple, and several funnel cakes. Jeff was all but vibrating from the sugar rush. They were all having so much fun that at first none of them noticed the malicious glare of the man standing in line behind them in line for the ride.

"Disgusting. Why don't you people go flaunt your perversions somewhere else?"

"Excuse me?" Santana flashed the behemoth a scowl that made most people wither. "Who do you think you are?"

"You all are filthy perverts and you're going to burn in Hell for your sins. God hates people like you!"

Brittany began crying behind the dark haired girl. Kurt pulled her into a hug. "It's alright, Boo. The ignorant man is just jealous because we've all got someone who loves us, and he's here all by himself, probably because no girl would go near him with that hideous body odor."

Jeff and Nick snickered, and Blaine glared at the other man. "We have just as much right to be here as you do. It's a free country, after all."

The large man glared at them all, then spat on the ground and walked away, grumbling about fags and dykes.

Their mood considerably more somber, they made their way to the food stands, Brittany still sniffling. They all tried to cheer her up, finally succeeding to make her smile again when Santana agreed to buy her the big souvenir cup of lemonade and share a funnel cake with her. They went back for more rides after eating, spending the rest of the afternoon as a group laughing and trying to forget about the earlier incident. No one else bothered them, and by the time they were ready to leave, they were all in high spirits once again.

…

All of New Directions and several of the Warblers spent the Fourth of July celebrating at Nick's Aunt Jean's house. Her house was large, and she had a pool. They'd enjoyed a picnic of fried chicken, Cole slaw, fruit salad and ice cream, and now were relaxing around the pool, singing, and just enjoying each other's company.

Blaine sat in the shade of a tree with Kurt curled up at his side. He loved the fact that all of their friends got along so well. He was a little sad that in a couple of weeks Wes and David would be heading off to college. The two boys in question were now engaged in a ferocious water gun battle, along with Finn, Puck, and Mike.

"You can go join them if you want." Kurt said, sighing beside him.

Blaine smiled. "Why, when I could do this instead?" He leaned in and kissed the fairer boy. Kurt sighed again, snuggling closer and deepening the kiss.

"Mmmm, I love you."

"I love you too, Blaine." Kurt stood up and pulled Blaine to his feet. "Let's go for a walk. No one will notice we're missing."

They walked down the path behind Aunt Jean's (she'd insisted they all call her that) house, through a small wooded area, to where a creek ran through a meadow of summer wild flowers. Kurt pulled the dark haired boy into the shade of the trees, secluded from their friends, surrounded by the beautiful scenery.

They kissed as they allowed their hands to explore each other.

"Make love to me, Blaine." Kurt whispered between kisses.

The shorter boy looked deep into stormy sea eyes. "Are you sure, Kurt?"

"Please?"

He smiled, and lay the other boy down on the grass gently, kissing him with all the love inside of him.

…

Kurt, Burt and Blaine sat in Angela McBride's office two days before school was due to start.

"Would you mind explaining that one more time, in words a common man like myself can understand?" Burt asked.

The red head smiled at him. "Basically, the defense team couldn't get a psychiatrist to agree to testify that Mr. Karofsky is mentally unstable to stand trial. The best they could get is one who would testify during a trial that their client might not have been in his right mind when the attack occurred. But when they found out who our expert witness would be, they abandoned the idea of any form of insanity plea. They know there is no way they can win if this goes to trial, and since he had turned eighteen before the incident in the parking lot, and you are still a minor, they know he'd get the maximum penalty."

"So what happens now?" Kurt asked, holding Blaine's hand tightly.

"They want to make a plea agreement. They will plead guilty to two accounts of sexual assault for the attack at the school and the inappropriate touching in the parking lot, as well as five counts of simple assault for the shoves into the lockers. In exchange we drop the sexual harassment charge for the kiss, as well as all the other minor charges. The defendant does ten years, plus probation and has to register as a sex offender for twenty years. He'll also get the counseling he obviously needs."

Kurt and his Dad exchange looks for a moment. "It's up to you, kiddo. It sounds like a reasonable agreement."

Blaine squeezes his hand, offering his support for what ever Kurt decides. After another moment of thought, he looks back to the prosecutor. "Can I make one stipulation?"

"It depends on what it is."

"Along with the counseling, I want him to join a support group for LGBTQ adults who struggle with their identities."

The woman smiled again and nodded. "I'll bring it up to the judge when we bring the plea before him. I don't think it will be an issue."

Kurt nodded. "Then I accept the conditions."

…

When school started on Wednesday, it was a bittersweet moment for Kurt. He was glad that he would be able to actually participate in Glee Club again, and be with all of his friends. He was glad that the students at McKinley were more tolerant than they had been the last few years. He was glad that the school board was enforcing the new zero tolerance policy.

But he missed his boyfriend. He'd gotten used to seeing Blaine on an almost daily basis over the summer. This was his senior year. He wanted it to be perfect. He wanted to walk down the hallways with the boy he loved. He wanted to spend as much time with him as he could before he graduated.

He moped through the day, and didn't even seem to notice when he walked down That Hallway. Mercedes tried to cheer him up at lunch time, making fun of Rachel's outfit. He smiled in appreciation of her attempt, but it didn't last. He was so lost in his own misery, he didn't see the knowing smiles pass between the other members of New Directions.

That afternoon, as he entered the choir room for the first Glee club meeting of the year, he noticed all the kids whispering, and when they stopped, he became suspicious. "What's going on?"

They just grinned at him, not saying a word. Then there was a knock on the door behind him.

"Excuse me, is this where I audition for Glee club?"

Kurt swung around at his boyfriend's voice. He stood there in black chinos, a black polo, black loafers and gold suspenders and bow tie. "Blaine? What are you doing here? Why aren't you wearing your Dalton blazer?"

"I transferred. My parents gave me permission to move in with Aunt Jean, so I could attend McKinley for the rest of my high school education. They weren't exactly pleased about me leaving Dalton, but when I told them I was in love, they finally accepted that I'm never going to settle down with some nice girl. They just want me to be happy."

Kurt hugged him so tight. "I'm never going to say good bye to you!"


	12. Sectionals

"Okay, listen up! I have an idea for a duet for sectionals, and this time I thought we'd really change things up. Kurt, would you come up here please?"

Kurt smiled at Blaine and stood, walking over to the piano next to Mr. Schue, taking the sheet music from him. His eyes lit up when he saw the song. "Really Mr. Schue? This is awesome! Who will I be singing with?"

"Well, that's my dilemma." He smiled at Kurt. "There are two people who I think would be a good match for you. So I'm going to have a sing off between the two of them, and the rest of the class will chose between them. I want you to rehearse with both of them, and we'll hear you sing with one of them on Wednesday, and the other on Friday. So, Santana, Blaine, here's your music."

They flipped a coin to see which of them would sing first. Blaine won. They spent the next two days practicing. They also sang some, too.

Their duet on Wednesday was fun, and everyone seemed to like it.

After rehearsing with Santana for two days, they performed on Friday. Even Blaine had to admit that when the two of them did the song, it was truly beautiful. So it was decided that Kurt and Santana would do the duet at sectionals.

There were a few arguments about what the other two songs would be. It was Blaine who suggested that the girls should do a song as they had at Regionals as they had the year before. They liked that idea, especially since each of them would get a solo. That just left the group song. Oddly enough, it was Ms. Pillsbury who came up with the idea, but once it was suggested, everyone agreed it was brilliant.

The next few weeks was a blur of rehearsals for Sectionals, mixed with the usual drama. Kurt and Blaine had been invited by Nick and Jeff to their Sectionals, despite the fact that they could end up competing against them at Regionals.

They went to support their friends. The Warblers performance was amazing. They did Uptown Girl, with Nick taking the lead, along with some guy neither of them recognized. After that, Jeff sang lead on Little Deuce Coupe, which had the audience on their feet. They finished off with Misery. Both Blaine and Kurt clapped and shouted enthusiastically.

The other two groups were good, but seemed to lack the energy of the Warblers, who ended up winning. After the competition, Kurt, Blaine, Nick and Jeff went out to dinner together.

They were laughing at Jeff, who kept breaking into a surfer dude persona. Nick punched him in the arm good naturedly. "I'm never taking you with me to visit my cousin ever again. He's a bad influence on you. You went surfing once, and wiped out, but now you seem to think you are the big Kahuna or something."

Kurt was trying to stifle his giggles, and Blaine was 'coughing' into his handkerchief. Suddenly the Warbler they had seen earlier was standing beside the table. "Hello, guys. Who's your friend?"

He was eyeing Blaine like he was some kind of sweet treat he wanted to eat, and completely ignoring Kurt. Both Nick and Jeff looked annoyed and tried not to roll their eyes. It was Nick who spoke, while Jeff gripped his water glass as if he wished it was the new comer's neck. "Sebastian Smythe, this is Blaine Anderson and his Boyfriend, Kurt Hummel. Now go away, our food is coming and none of us want to lose our appetites listening to you make an absolute ass out of yourself spewing your egotistical bullshit over someone who isn't interested."

"Whatever, you're just jealous that Blondie over there kissed me."

Nick stood up and got into the taller boy's face. "First off, he was drunk and you took advantage of that, and second, how are the family jewels? It sure sounded like you hit G10 when he kneed the crap out of you. And third, if you think that hurt, just try and make a move on Blaine. You don't want to piss of their friends. No one would ever find your body."

Kurt didn't even try to hide the smirk on his face. He knew Nick was referring to New Directions. The other couple had been adopted by the group after that trip to the fair with Santana and Brit. They learned very quickly how protective the group was of Kurt, and through him Blaine and his friends.

As if on cue, Puck appeared at their table. "Is there a problem here, Hummel?"

Kurt was surprised to see the familiar Mohawk. They were more than an hour out of Lima, but just smiled. "Just some delusional punk thinking he could make a move on my boyfriend in front of me."

"Is that so? Well now, I have a bit of a problem with that. You see, Kurt and Blaine are friends of mine, and I don't like seeing them upset. So I suggest you find the exit, fast, meerkat."

Sebastian huffed and walked away. Once he left, Kurt and Blaine laughed. "Thanks Puck! What are you doing here?"

The self proclaimed sex-shark actually looked a little sheepish. "Uh, I have a date with this girl, but she didn't want anyone from school to see us together."

Kurt looked surprised. "Really? Why?"

"Um, well, she's not the type of girl I usually go for, and since I kind of have a bad boy reputation, she didn't want people to think she'd go out with a guy like me."

"Now I'm really am intrigued. Who is she?"

"That would be me, but if you tell anyone, I'll break you in half."

Kurt and Blaine turned at the voice to see the captain of the wrestling team and the first girl to win a state wrestling championship.

"Zizes? I never thought you'd agree to go anywhere near a guy like Puck. I figured you'd have higher standards."

"Normally I do, but I got tired of him begging me to go out with him. I figured if I gave him a pity date he'd leave me alone."

Kurt and Blaine laughed and Puck just rolled his eyes. He and the big boned girl said goodnight as the boys' food was served.

As they began to eat, Kurt noticed that the blond Warbler wasn't acting like himself. "Jeff? Everything ok?"

He shrugged. Nick patted his shoulder. "It's ok, babe. We talked about this, it wasn't your fault, he took advantage of the situation. It's not like you asked him to kiss you."

Kurt reached out and took the other boy's hand, realizing the two of them had something in common. "Hey, I've been there, remember? You can't blame yourself. It will tear you up inside."

Jeff sighed, and smiled at Kurt. "Thanks. I just hate that guy. I reported it of course. It's considered sexual harassment under Dalton's policies. He was suspended for a week, and could have been kicked out of the Warblers, but since we had several members graduate and a few who moved away, we needed him for our twelfth. Usually we have more than enough for competition. We really need to recruit more before Regionals."

They ate in silence for a few minutes, and then Blaine asked Nick if they'd seen the previews for the new Star Trek movie yet. Conversation resumed, and soon they were laughing again.

…

A week later, Jeff and Nick sat in the audience to cheer on their friends. They sat politely through the first two clubs to perform, but it was obvious that the first group was woefully inexperienced in competition, while the second were just trying too hard.

The two Warblers clapped enthusiastically when New Directions were announced.

The girls took the stage wearing black dresses with red sashes, and sang What Doesn't Kill you. Their performance was flawless, and the audience loved it. Then the lights went down, except a spotlight on Santana. Soft music began to play, and the beautiful Latina moved forward towards the front of the stage as she began to sing.

When I find myself in times of trouble  
Mother Mary comes to me  
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be

And in my hour of darkness  
She is standing right in front of me  
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be

Kurt joined her from the right of the stage. He wore black jeans and a black button down short sleeve shirt and a red tie. He took the lead on the chorus.

Let it be, let it be  
Let it be, let it be

Whisper words of wisdom, let it be (Santana: Hee!)

And when the broken hearted people  
Living in the world agree

There will be an answer, let it be

They harmonized on the next verse

For though they may be parted  
There is still a chance that they will see  
There will be an answer, let it be, hee! (Kurt: Ooh!)

Santanasang the next part, with Kurt echoing her.

Let it be, let it be  
Let it be, yeah, let it be  
There will be an answer  
Let it be  
Let it be, let it be  
Let it be, yeah, let it be  
Whisper words of wisdom  
Let it be, hee!

Harmonized again through the chorus.

Ooooh  
Ooooh  
Ahhhh!

Let it be, let it be  
Let it be, yeah, let it be  
Whisper words of wisdom  
Let it be, hee!

And then Kurt took the lead with Santana echoing him.

And when the night is cloudy  
There is still a light that shines on me  
Shine until tomorrow  
Let it be

I wake up to the sound of music,  
Mother Mary comes to me  
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be, hee!

And again in harmony.

Let it be ( Santana: Let it be)  
Let it be, yeah, let it be  
Oh, there will be an answer  
Let it be (Kurt: Hee!)  
Let it be Let it be  
Let it be (Santana: Yeah, let it be)(Kurt: Oh, whoa!)

There will be an answer  
Let it be, hee (Kurt: Let it be, let it be!)  
Let it be, let it be (Kurt: Oh!)  
Let it be, yeah, let it be (Kurt: Oh, Oh!)

Whisper words of wisdom  
Let it be, hee

The audience rose to there feet, clapping and cheering. Santana hugged Kurt quickly before taking his tie and rushing off stage to change as quickly as possible, leaving Kurt center stage. Once the audience sat back down, the final song began.

Kurt:  
It doesn't matter if you love him, or capital H-I-M (M-M-M-M)  
Just put your paws up, 'Cause you were born this way baby

Mercedes, Tina, and Blaine joined him on stage. The girls had changed into black jeans with black button down blouses. As they danced, the two girls grabbed Kurt's shirt and appeared to rip it off, revealing a white Tshirt with the words LIKES BOYS written on it.

Tina:  
My mamma told me when I was young  
We are all born superstars  
She rolled my hair and put my lipstick on  
In the glass of her boudoir

More members of New Directions joined them on stage, the boys all wearing the same jeans and black shirts as Kurt, and the girls all having changed into similar garb. As they moved around the stage, Tina and Mercedes opened their blouses to reveal their Tshirts. Mercedes' read NO WEAVE, while Tina's said BROWN EYES.

Mercedes:  
"There's nothing wrong with lovin' who you are,"  
She said, "Cause he made you perfect, babe"  
So, hold your head up, girl

More Tshirts were revealed:

Sam: TROUTY MOUTH

Blaine: CURLY HAIR

Quinn: LUCY CABOOSIE

Rachel: NOSE

Mercedes with Tina:  
And you'll go far  
Listen to me when I say

Mercedes with New Directions:  
I'm beautiful in my way  
'Cause God makes no mistakes  
I'm on the right track  
Baby, I was born this way

Puck: I'M WITH STUPID \/

Brit: I'M WITH STOOPID ^

Santana: LEBANEESE

Mike: CAN'T SING

Don't hide yourself in regret  
Just love yourself, and you're set  
I'm on the right track  
Baby, I was born this way (New Directions: Born this way)

Finn: CAN'T DANCE

Artie: FOUR EYES

Tina with New Directions:  
Ooo, there ain't no other way  
Baby, I was born this way  
Baby, I was born this way (New Directions: Born this way)  
Ooo, there ain't no other way  
Baby, I was born this way  
Right track, baby  
I was born this way

Kurt:  
Don't be a drag, just be a queen

Tina:  
Don't be a drag, just be a queen

Mercedes:  
Don't be a drag, just be a queen

Kurt:  
Don't be! (Don't be, don't be, don't be)

Tina (with New Directions):  
Give yourself prudence  
And love your friends  
Subway kid, rejoice your truth  
(In the religion of the insecure  
I must be myself, respect my youth)

Mercedes with New Directions:  
A different lover is not a sin  
Believe capital H-I-M

Mercedes with Tina:  
I love my life I love this record and mi amore vole fe yah

Mercedes with New Directions:  
I'm beautiful in my way  
'Cause God makes no mistakes  
I'm on the right track  
Baby, I was born this way

Don't hide yourself in regret  
Just love yourself, and you're set  
I'm on the right track  
Baby, I was born this way (New Directions: Born this way)

Tina with New Directions:  
Ooo there ain't no other way  
Baby, I was born this way  
Baby, I was born this way (New Directions: Born this way)  
Ooo there ain't no other way  
Baby, I was born this way  
Right track, baby  
I was born this way

Tina:  
Way-ay-ay (Kurt: Don't be, don't be, don't be)  
Way-ay-ay

Kurt (with New Directions):  
Don't be a drag, just be a queen  
Whether you're broke or evergreen,  
You're black, white, beige, chola descent  
(You're Lebanese, you're orient)  
Whether life's disabilities  
Left you outcast, bullied, or teased  
Rejoice, and love yourself today  
'Cause, baby, you were born this way

Mercedes with Tina and New Directions:  
No matter gay, straight, or bi  
Lesbian, transgendered life  
I'm on the right track, baby  
I was born to survive  
No matter black, white or beige  
Chola or orient made  
I'm on the right track, baby  
I was born to be brave

New Directions:  
I'm beautiful in my way  
'Cause God makes no mistakes

Mercedes with New Directions:  
I'm on the right track, baby  
I was born this way

New Directions:  
Don't hide yourself in regret

Mercedes and New Directions:  
Just love yourself, and you're set  
I'm on the right track, baby  
I was born this way (New Directions: born this way)

Tina with New Directions (Mercedes):  
Ooo there ain't no other way (Ooo there ain't no)  
Baby, I was born this way (Baby, I was)  
Baby, I was born this way (Baby, I was born this way)  
Ooo there ain't no other way  
Baby, I was born this way (Baby, I was)  
Right track  
Baby, I was born this way

I was born this way, hey! (hey!)

Mercedes with Tina and New Directions:  
I was born this way, hey! (hey!)

Tina with New Directions:  
I'm on the right track, baby

Mercedes with Tina and New Directions:  
I was born this way, hey!

Tina and New Directions:  
I was born this way, hey!

Mercedes with Tina and New Directions:  
I was born this way, hey! (Mercedes: hey!)  
I was born this way, hey!  
I'm on the right track, baby  
I was born this way, hey!

The cheers were deafening when the song ended.


	13. Holidays

It was the last day of school before Christmas break, and all of the Glee kids were buzzing with excitement. They'd been asked to perform several songs at the Lima Mall's Holiday Music Festival.

Kurt, Santana, and Rachel started the program by singing Here Comes Santa Claus, which was greeted with cheers from the kids. Blaine thought Kurt looked hot in his elf costume. He'd whispered into his boyfriend's ear earlier that he wanted Kurt to keep the outfit.

After the trio had taken their bows and slipped away to change for their next number, Brittany and the Cheerios performed a high energy dance number to Christmas Wrapping. There were a lot of cheers and whoops for that number.

Next up, Kurt and Blaine had a fun time singing Baby it's Cold Outside, that had the audience laughing at their antics.

Finn and Rachel's duet of Last Christmas was also well received, while Santana and Artie's Feliz Navidad had people laughing and dancing.

Rachel's solo of Oh Holy Night was beautiful, as was Quinn's Away in the Manger. They did two group numbers to finish out their portion of the show. Welcome Christmas had even the stodgiest of shoppers smiling and whipping tears from their eyes, while Do they Know it's Christmas reminded one and all of what the season was really about.

After the concert, Blaine drove Kurt home. They sat in the driveway for several minutes, kissing and holding each other. Blaine would be flying out to LA in the morning to visit his brother for a few days. He'd be back on Christmas Eve, though. Burt had invited him to spend a few days with the Hummel-Hudson clan.

"Do you have to go to L.A.? Can't Cooper wait to see you until New Years?"

Blaine laughed. "He wants to introduce me to his new girlfriend, and then they are flying to Toronto to visit her family for a few weeks. Besides, I'll be spending three whole nights with you when I get back."

"I know," Kurt sighed. "I'm just so used to seeing you every day now."

They kissed again, before climbing out of the car. Blaine walked him to the door, and kissed him a few more times. "I love you, Kurt Hummel. I'm so lucky I found you."

"You mean you were lucky you found my scarf." They both laughed. "I love you too, Blaine Anderson."

…

Christmas Eve dinner at the Hummel-Hudson home was nothing short of fabulous, as much for the company as for the food itself. All of the New Directions, including Mr. Schuester and Ms. Pillsbury were there, as were Blaine's parents, and Kurt's maternal Grandmother, who had a striking resemblance to one of Blaine's favorite actresses. When the matriarch was introduced to Blaine, she sized him up from head to toe. "Well, a bit shorter than I was expecting, but as long as you make my Grandson happy, I guess you'll do."

She then laughed and hugged the curly haired boy to show that she was just teasing. After dinner, the teens exchanged gifts. Everyone loved the bracelets Kurt had gotten them. They were simple bands with the words Defying Gravity engraved in them. He'd also gotten Santana a pair of earrings to express his gratitude for everything she had done for him this past year.

After some caroling and hot chocolate, the others said good night. Finn retired to his room, while Kurt and Blaine laid out sleeping bags in front of the fire. Grandma Agatha would be sleeping in Kurt's room. Once the house settled down and everyone else was asleep, Kurt gave Blaine his gift. It was a pocket watch. On the inside was inscribed; One Minute At a Time.

The curly haired boy smiled, and kissed him, then presented the fairer boy with a small box. Kurt's heart skipped a beat. It looked like the kind of box an engagement ring would come in. Blaine just smiled and encouraged him to open it. Inside was a piece of paper, folded up small. He cried when he read the words written on it.

This is a promise that I will love you forever. Someday there will be a ring to place on your finger to show the world that my heart belongs to you.

Love, Blaine.

"I love you forever, too." He kissed the darker boy, and they made love there in front of the fire.

…

Nick, Jeff, Santana, Brit, Blaine and Kurt spent New Years Eve together at Aunt Jean's house, laughing and playing silly games. They had all become pretty good friends over the last few months. They were playing Truth or Dare at the moment. Kurt had to make sure to set some ground rules because he knew some of the things the Latina would come up with could get them all in trouble.

"Kurt, Truth or Dare?" She asked, a mischievous grin on her face.

He rolled his eyes. "Truth."

"On a scale of one to too hot to handle, how good a kisser is preppy?"

Kurt snorted, looking at his boyfriend. Rather than answering, they gave a little demonstration. The kiss was long and slow and deep. By the time they broke apart, both boys were gasping for breath, and the others were fanning themselves. "Did that answer your question?"

The dark haired girl grinned. "Wanky."

They all laughed. Kurt continued the game. "Nick, Truth or Dare?"

"Dare." The dark haired Warbler grinned in challenge.

Kurt smirked. "Ok, let's see you do a little dance for your Boyfriend there. Something sexy."

Santana pulled out her iPod and found the perfect song. As You Can Leave Your Hat On began to play, Nick did a kind of bump and grind dance in front of his blond boyfriend. Santana and Brit were laughing so hard by the time he finished. "Oh god, that was funny! No offense, but you really should take some dance lessons from Kurt"

"Kurt?" Jeff asked, laughing.

Brittany jumped up and grabbed Kurt's arm. "Come on, Kurtie, let's show them!"

Kurt laughed and turned red in the face, but agreed. "Tana, you want to take Tina's place for this?"

They cleared the center of the floor, and then Santana started the music and took her place. The three other boys were confused when Single Ladies began to play, but were absolutely stunned when Kurt began to move. Blaine's jaw dropped. He didn't think hips could move like that.

Nick smacked him in the arm without looking away from the dance, and whispered. "Can I switch boyfriends with you?"

Jeff smacked him in turn and hissed, "If anyone is swapping boyfriends with Blaine it's me!"

When the show was over, Kurt hugged the two girls. Santana laughed. "I don't know if I should be offended or not, those three didn't even look at me or Brit."

Kurt sat back down next to his boyfriend, who whispered in his ear, "You need to teach me that dance." The pale boy laughed and kissed him.

"Seriously, Blaine, I'm so jealous right now." Jeff whined.

"That's nothing. You guys should see Kurt do 4minutes." Brittany said, smiling sweetly. "Kurt was so hot, half the cheerios wanted to do him."

"f-f-4minutes?" Blaine stuttered. He'd just realized that there were still things he didn't know about his boyfriend. The fair boy blushed even redder at the eager look on the darker boy's face. "I'll show you later."

"Nick, I'm so sorry, but I'm breaking up with you. I think I'm in love with Kurt."

They all laughed, especially when the shorter Warbler turned and kissed the blond senseless.

…

When they returned to school after the holidays, they really started working on getting ready for Regionals. There had been some changes to the rules this year, and now they would be performing four songs at the competition. Their song selections were perfect, showcasing their versatile talents.

As February rolled around, the group were working so hard, and tension were rising. Blaine decided they needed to have some fun. He invited the Warblers and New Directions to Breadstix for a little pre-Valentine's day party.

Of course when the two groups got together, the inevitable good natured sing off came up. This time instead of one on one, the two groups faced off, with the Warblers performing Silly Love Songs. It was met with a warm round of applause from the other patrons. Then New Directions got up and did Love Shack. This really got the house rocking, and even the Warblers joined in.

As the party was nearing it's end, Kurt noticed his boyfriend in a huddle with the Warblers. Curious, he started to rise, but before he even cleared his seat, the young men all laughed and broke apart, and Blaine smiled as he asked for everyone's attention.

"I'd like to sing one more song before the night is over. This is for someone very special."

The Warblers began Harmonizing, and beat boxing.

You think I'm pretty without any make-up on  
You think I'm funny when I tell the punch line wrong  
I know you get me, so I let my walls come down, down

Before you met me, I was alright  
But things were kinda heavy, you brought me to life  
Now every February you'll be my valentine, valentine

Let's go all the way tonight  
No regrets, just love  
We can dance until we die  
You and I, we'll be young forever

You make me feel like I'm living a teenage dream  
The way you turn me on, I can't sleep  
Let's runaway and don't ever look back  
Don't ever look back

My heart stops when you look at me  
Just one touch, now baby I believe  
This is real, so take a chance  
And don't ever look back, don't ever look back

We drove to Cali and got drunk on the beach  
Got a motel and built a floor out of sheets  
I finally found you, my missing puzzle piece  
I'm complete

Let's go all the way tonight  
No regrets, just love  
We can dance until we die  
You and I, we'll be young forever

You make me feel like I'm living a teenage dream  
The way you turn me on, I can't sleep  
Let's runaway and don't ever look back  
Don't ever look back

My heart stops when you look at me  
Just one touch, now baby I believe  
This is real, so take a chance  
And don't ever look back, don't ever look back

I'ma get your heart racing in my skin-tight jeans  
Be your teenage dream tonight  
Let you put your hands on me in my skin-tight jeans  
Be your teenage dream tonight

You make me feel like I'm living a teenage dream  
The way you turn me on, I can't sleep  
Let's runaway and don't ever look back  
Don't ever look back

My heart stops when you look at me  
Just one touch, now baby I believe  
This is real, so take a chance  
And don't ever look back, don't ever look back

I'ma get your heart racing in my skin-tight jeans  
Be your teenage dream tonight  
Let you put your hands on me in my skin-tight jeans  
Be your teenage dream tonight

Kurt laughed and hugged the younger boy. "You are such a goof!"

…

Valentine's Day, Blaine sat all alone in the Lima Bean, staring at his cold cup of coffee, looking miserable.

"Excuse me?" Blaine looked up at the voice and found himself looking into the most amazing pair of eyes he had ever seen. "Hi, I'm sorry to bother you, but I was sitting at this table earlier, and I think I left my boyfriend here, have you seen him?"

Blaine laughed and stood up to kiss the beautiful boy. "Happy anniversary. I missed you today. How was the meeting with the judge?"

"It was okay. He agreed to accept the plea deal. The sentencing will be two weeks from today."

"That's the day before Regionals, isn't it?"

Kurt nodded and sat down. "Yeah, I can't wait for this to be all over with."

Blaine took his hand, squeezing it. "So much has happened in this past year. I mean, exactly twelve months ago, I was sitting at this table, feeling like an idiot after making a fool of myself over some boy who thought of me as just some little kid."

Kurt smiled. Blaine had told him all about the GAP fiasco, and Jeremiah.

"Now here we are, together," Blaine continued. "And we've been through so much stuff together already too. Good stuff as well as bad. And we're stronger for it."

"Speaking of stronger," Kurt offered, "they're now offering free self defense classes at the Lima community center. I was thinking it wouldn't hurt to sign up."

"I think that's a great idea. We can do it together." He leaned over and kissed the glasz eyed boy. "Just as long as you don't use any of those body slams on me."

...

The Thursday before Regionals found New Directions working hard on their choreography. Two of the songs wouldn't require much movement, but the other two they were going all out on.

"Ok, let's run through that one more time, but this time I want the boys to wait half a beat before moving forward." Mr. Schue was about to restart the music when there was a knock at the door.

"Will, may I speak to you for a moment?" Ms. Pillsbury asked, her eyes darting towards the corner where Kurt and Blaine were sitting. The expression on her face was one the choir director had only seen once before, and he was certain what he was about to hear was something bad.

He walked over to the petite woman and had a brief, whispered conversation.

Neither Kurt or Blaine seemed to notice, they were busy talking about the text Nick had sent them, wondering if they wanted to meet up somewhere after the competition on Saturday.

"Kurt, would you mind stepping out into the hall for a moment? You too, Blaine."

The boys looked up in surprise at hearing their names. Blaine wondered for a moment if they were in trouble, but Kurt went stiff beside him. The last time Ms. Pillsbury had called him out of a class it was to tell him his father had been rushed to the ER after a heart attack. He was suddenly filled with dread, but a thought struck him. If something had happened to Burt, wouldn't she have asked for Finn, too?

They stepped out into the hallway. The red head smiled sadly at him. "Kurt, I just received a phone call..."


	14. 525,600 Minutes

"David Karofsky committed suicide this morning."

Kurt just stood there, stunned by the announcement.

"Kurt?" Mr. Schue placed his hands on the boy's shoulders. "Are you okay?"

He just nodded, still mostly oblivious to his surroundings. Blaine wrapped his arms around him. "Look at me, babe. Look at me. Hey, it's okay. Breathe for me. That's it."

Stormy grey eyes locked on to melted gold, and the taller boy inhaled deeply. After a few moments, Kurt spoke, eyes still locked on his anchor. "How?"

"I don't think..." Emma began, but Kurt cut her off.

"How?"

She cleared her throat delicately. "He apparently tore his blanket up and hung himself from a light fixture. The guards found him this morning. He left a note. It said 'I'm sorry.'"

Kurt closed his eyes and leaned into Blaine. He fought back tears. "I didn't want him dead. I didn't want him to die. I just wanted him to get the help he needed. Why did he do it? He could have gone through with the plea deal. Why?"

Blaine lead the pale skinned boy back inside the choir room. Everyone was looking at him. He heard Blaine whisper something to Santana, who then quietly passed the information on to the others as Blaine gathered up their stuff, and lead Kurt out to the parking lot.

The drive to the Hummel-Hudson residence was silent. Burt was waiting for them when they arrived, having received a call at the garage from Angela McBride a short while earlier. Blaine lead Kurt to the couch, and Burt brought him a cup of tea.

"I just don't understand why he did it." The words were so softly spoken the other two men had to strain to hear them.

Blaine held him tighter, running his hand soothingly through the light brown hair. "We don't know what was going on in his head, or even in his life. We know he was confused about his identity. Maybe the guilt of what he did to you was too much."

Kurt continued to sob quietly, leaning on Blaine. Burt sat silently on his other side, rubbing circles on his back. Soon the thin boy was asleep. Very gently, the two men who loved him more than anyone else in the world laid him out on the couch, tucking a blanket around him, before slipping into the kitchen.

"Do you think he'll be okay?"

"Don't worry, kiddo. My son is tough. You know that. He'll recover from this. How are you doing with all this?"

Blaine shrugged. "As well as can be expected, I guess. It just doesn't seem fair that every time he's happy, someone or something has to ruin it for him. It's amazing that he can even smile at all sometimes. How does he do it?"

"After his mom died, it was pretty much just the two of us. Agatha helped out some, of course, but for the most part, we relied on each other to get through. As he got older, he became more independent, but he still found something to anchor himself. Me, fashion, music. Then it was Glee Club. Now he has you. You're good for him, kid."

Blaine smiled and blushed a little. "He's good for me, too. For a long time I used Dalton and the Warblers as my shield and my crutch. Kurt taught me to stand on my own two feet. He gave me the courage to face the world again."

Burt hugged the other boy. "Do you want to hang around for a while? Carole will be home in about an hour. She'll cook dinner then."

"I could cook, if you like. It'd give me something to do."

Burt nodded. "If that's what you want. I'm heading back to the garage for a little bit. I have a couple of quick repairs to finish up."

"Thanks. For everything."

Burt smiled. "No. Thank you. For everything you've done for Kurt."

…

"And now for our second group, please welcome to the stage, The Dalton Academy Warblers!"

As their friends took the stage, the kids of New Directions cheered. They were able to watch a little from the wings as Nick and Jeff lead the group in the first song of their set.

Woooaaahhh  
Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na  
Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na  
Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na  
Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na

Here we go again  
I kinda wanna be more than friends  
So take it easy on me  
I'm afraid you're never satisfied

Here we go again  
We're sick like animals  
We play pretend  
You're just a cannibal  
And I'm afraid I wont get out alive (The Warblers: Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh-oh-oh)

No I won't sleep tonight

As the song continued, the McKinley students made their way to the dressing rooms to finish getting ready.

Mercedes smiled and hugged Kurt. "Ready, White Boy?"

He hugged her back. "I'm fine. What about you?"

"I was born ready for this."

He smiled at her. "Then let's get our Diva on and go bring the house down!"

The rest of the group cheered at these words.

…

"And finally, ladies and gentlemen, let's give it up for William McKinley's New Directions!"

Music began to play, and five spotlights lit the stage. Humming in harmony, Mercedes, Rachel, Santana, Kurt and Finn stepped into the circles of light.

Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes  
Five hundred twenty-five thousand moments so dear  
Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes  
How do you measure, measure a year?

In daylights, in sunsets  
In midnights, in cups of coffee  
In inches, in miles  
In laughter, in strife

Artie, Tina, Quinn, Brittany and Mike moved forward as five more circles of light appeared.

In five hundred twenty-five thousand  
Six hundred minutes  
How do you measure  
A year in the life?

Sam, Puck and Blaine filled in the last three lights to appear.

How about (love?)

How about (love?)

How about (love?)

(Kurt: Measure in love!)

(The boys) The Girls

(Seasons of) Love

(Seasons of) Love

Mercedes sang lead on the next verse, with harmonies from Kurt.

Five hundred twenty-five thousand  
Six hundred minutes  
Five hundred twenty-five thousand  
Journeys to plan  
Five hundred twenty-five thousand  
Six hundred minutes  
How do you measure  
The life of a woman or a man?

(Santana) In truths that she learned

(Kurt) Or in times that he cried

(Puck) In bridges he burned

(Tina) Or the way that she died

Kurt (All)

Remember the love (Oh, you've got to, you've got to remember the love)  
Remember the love (You know that love is a gift from above)  
Remember the love (Share love, give love, spread love)  
Measure in love (Measure, measure your life in love)

(The boys) The Girls

(Seasons of) Love

(Seasons of) Love (Mercedes: Seasons of Love!)

The audience gave them a standing ovation. Most of the group left the stage. Mercedes, Santana, Rachel and Kurt remained. Once the audience took their seats, and the auditorium was quiet, Mercedes began to sing without music.

Mercedes:  
There's a boy I know  
He's the one I dream of, ooh  
Looks into my eyes  
Takes me to the clouds above, mm

Oh, I lose control (Ooh)  
Can't seem to get enough, ahh (Get enough, ahh)  
When I wake from dreaming (Ooh)  
Tell me is it really love, ahh

Rachel:  
How will I know? (Ooh, don't trust your feelings)  
How will I know? (Know)  
How will I know? (Ooh, love can be deceiving)  
How will I know? (Know)

Santana, Kurt, Rachel and Mercedes:  
How will I know if he really loves me?  
I say a prayer with every heartbeat  
I fall in love whenever we meet  
I'm asking you, 'cause you know about these things  
How will I know if he's thinking of me?  
I try to phone but I'm too shy, can't speak  
Falling in love is all bitter sweet  
This love is strong, why do I feel weak?  
Oh, wake me

Mercedes:  
I'm shaking (Santana: Ooh)  
I wish I had you near me now, ahh

All:  
Said there's no

Mercedes:  
Mistaking (Ooh)  
What I feel is really love, ahh  
Ooh, tell me

All:  
If he loves me  
If he loves me  
If he loves me not (Santana: Ohh yeah)  
If he loves me  
If he loves me  
If he loves me not

Rachel:  
Ohh, how will I know?

Kurt, Mercedes, and Santana:  
How will I know if he's thinking of me?

All:  
I try to phone but I'm too shy, can't speak  
Falling in love is all bitter sweet  
This love is strong, why do I feel weak?

Kurt, Rachel and Santana (Mercedes):  
(How will I know?) How will I know  
If he really loves me (How will I know?)  
I say a prayer (Hey, how will I know?)  
With every heart beat, (How will I know?)  
I fall in love (How will I know?)  
Whenever we meet (How will I know?)  
I'm asking you (How will I know?)  
'Cause you know about these things  
How will I know? (How will I know?)

Again the the audience was on it's feet. Three more members walked off stage, leaving Santana alone at the center. Again, no music accompanied her as she began to sing.

If I die young, bury me in satin  
Lay me down on a bed of roses  
Sink me in the river at dawn  
Send me away with the words of a love song  
Oh oh, oh oh

A guitar softly began to play now, as Brittany began to dance around the stage by herself, her movements full of grace and beauty.

Lord make me a rainbow  
I'll shine down on my mother  
She'll know I'm safe with you  
When she stands under my colors  
Oh well, life ain't always  
What you'd think it oughta be, no  
Ain't even grey but she buries her baby  
The sharp knife of a short life  
Well, I've had just enough time

Kurt joined Brittany on stage to dance, as did Mike and Tina.

If I die young, bury me in satin  
Lay me down on a bed of roses  
Sink me in the river at dawn  
Send me away with the words of a love song  
The sharp knife of a short life  
Well, I've had just enough time

Blaine and Rachel and Sam and Quinn, as well as a few Cheerios joined the dance on stage.

And I'll be wearing white  
When I come into your kingdom  
I'm as green as the ring  
On my little cold finger  
I've never known the lovin' of a man  
But it sure felt nice  
When he was holding my hand  
There's a boy here in town  
Says he'll love me forever  
Who would have thought  
Forever could be severed by

The rest of New Directions came out on stage, the dancers moving expertly around them as they joined in the singing as well.

Santana with New Directions:  
The sharp knife of a short life

Santana (with New Directions):  
Well, I've had just enough (Time)  
Ooh yeah, ooh woah

So put on your best boys  
And I'll wear my pearls  
What I never did is done  
A penny for my thoughts  
Oh no, I'll sell them for a dollar  
They're worth so much more  
After I'm a goner  
And maybe then you'll hear  
The words I've been singing  
Funny when you're dead  
How people start listening

Oh, if I die young

Santana with New Directions:  
Bury me in satin  
Lay me down on a bed of roses  
Sink me in the river at dawn  
Send me away with the words of a love song

Santana (New Directions):  
Oh oh (Oh oh)  
The ballad of a dove (Oh oh)  
Go with peace and love

Santana with New Directions:  
Gather up your tears

Santana:  
Keep 'em in your pocket  
Save 'em for a time  
When you're really gonna need 'em, oh

Santana with New Directions:  
The sharp knife of a short life

Santana (with New Directions):  
Well I've had just enough (Time)  
So put on your best boys  
And I'll wear my pearls

The applause this time was the loudest yet. As the they got ready for their final song, Blaine and Kurt stood center stage, while the others formed a group behind them. As the music began to play, Blaine took the lead.

When the night has come  
And the land is dark  
And the moon is the only light we'll see  
No, I won't be afraid  
Oh, I won't be afraid  
Just as long as you stand  
Stand by me

Kurt took the chorus, as the others moved into the choreography.

So darlin', darlin'  
Stand by me, oh, stand by me  
Oh, stand, stand by me  
Stand by me

Artie, Sam, Puck and Finn took over the next verse

If the sky that we look upon  
Should tumble and fall  
Or the mountain should crumble to the sea  
I won't cry, I won't cry  
No, I won't shed a tear  
Just as long as you stand  
Stand by me

Rachel, Santana, and Brittany took the chorus this time

And darlin', darlin'  
Stand by me, oh, stand by me  
Oh, stand now, stand by me  
Stand by me

Mercedes and Kurt took over the lead as the rest provided harmonies and echoes.

Darlin', darlin'  
Stand by me, oh, stand by me  
Oh, stand now, stand by me  
Stand by me  
Whenever you're in trouble, won't you stand by me?  
Oh, stand by me  
Won't you stand now?  
Oh, stand, stand by me  
When all of our friends is gone

As the song came to an end, the applause and cheers echoed through out the auditorium. New Directions took their well deserved bows, and hugged one another.

…

That evening, the Warblers and New Directions partied at Aunt Jean's house. Burt, Carole, Aunt Jean, and Blaine's parents were all seated together at a picnic table watching the two show choirs interact. They had all been excited to learn that they had once again tied. All of them would be going to Nationals in Chicago together.

As the others continued to celebrate, Kurt and Blaine slipped off to their favorite meadow. They lay in the shelter of the trees, kissing and holding each other, content to let the rest of the world pass them by for the time being.

'What are you thinking about?" Blaine asked the other boy softly after a while.

"Minutes, cups of coffee, and scarves."

The curly haired boy smiled. "Ain't it strange the way life works?"

"Mm Hmm. If I hadn't misplaced my scarf, we'd never have met. We'd never have gotten to know each other over cups of coffee. And who knows what would have happened that night. I don't think I'd have survived."

Blaine grinned and kissed him. "Then thank goodness for scarves and coffee."


End file.
